Tag: 2016

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what UK bilateral and (b) multilateral funding to support health care system strengthening in countries determined by the WHO to be affected by, or at risk from the Zika virus, has been in each of the last six years.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The table below shows UK bilateral disbursements, against a number of OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) health related classifications, to countries on the WHO list of those affected, or likely to be affected, by the Zika virus. These include basic health care, communicable disease control, health education and health personnel development, all of which contribute to strengthening health systems.

    Table: UK ODA spend on health 2009-2014

    £’000

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    Barbados

    3

    Brazil

    13

    1,461

    2,779

    491

    1,233

    87

    Costa Rica

    191

    Dominican Republic

    10

    16

    Ecuador

    3

    5

    Guatemala

    26

    Guyana

    2

    2

    Haiti

    1,000

    Honduras

    9

    Mexico

    61

    1,061

    105

    835

    202

    363

    Nicaragua

    219

    0

    Paraguay

    3

    2

    Venezuela

    7

    Total

    322

    2,730

    2,890

    1,349

    1,448

    1,450

    Source: Statistics on International Development 2015

    The UK has also provided support to these countries through core contributions to multilateral organisations, but data on expenditure on specific sectors to specific countries is not available.

    DFID and the Department of Health will request the World Health Organisation to provide further guidance on which countries beyond those currently affected are at greatest risk from Zika, including the risks to other regions including Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia; this is scientifically very challenging.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has made representations to the EU on its funding of aid and development projects in Eritrea.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Between 2013 and 2015 DFID provided UNICEF in Eritrea with £10 million for child and maternal health and the provision of clean water and sanitation.

    In December 2015 DFID provided a further £3 million for nutrition support activities and water and sanitation in areas affected by El Nino in the Horn of Africa through UNICEF’s regional programme, which covers Eritrea.

    Over the past 2 years funding to support primarily Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia totalled £1.6 million and focussed on child protection and related work on anti-smuggling and trafficking.

  • The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry on 2016-03-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent of freedom of religion or belief in Iraq and in Iraqi Kurdistan.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Government is firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion and belief in Iraq and condemns strongly all persecution on the grounds of faith or creed.

    The situation for religious communities including Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and others in Iraq remains deeply concerning. Daesh has committed atrocities against religious groups and persecuted individuals and communities on the basis of their religion or beliefs.

    Freedom of religion and belief is protected in the Iraqi constitution and we welcome the commitments made by the Government of Iraq to protect all Iraqis and address human rights abuses and violations.

    We continue to engage with religious leaders both in the UK and in Iraq to discuss the situation of religious communities. We also encourage influential religious leaders in Iraq to speak out publicly and condemn sectarian violence. We are working to build consensus around the importance of freedom of religion and belief, as well as its promotion and protection. This includes funding a project to prevent intolerance and violence towards religious communities by inspiring key leaders in Iraqi society to publicly defend and support the right of all Iraqis to freedom of religion and belief.

  • Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will bring forward legislative proposals on redundancy to specify that the word establishment applies to a whole business rather than an individual working environment.

    Nick Boles

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

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-06-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what government funding local litter awareness groups can apply for.

    Rory Stewart

    Central Government does not make any funding directly available to local litter awareness groups. It is up to local councils to determine how to use the central Government funding they receive for local services: this can include making some funding available to local volunteer groups to carry out litter-picking and raise awareness of litter as a local issue.

  • Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to maintain air pollution targets set out in the ambient air quality directive following UK withdrawal from the EU.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    Air quality has improved significantly in recent decades; we are working at local, national and international levels and will continue to do more.

    The UK has a long commitment to improving the environment even before the EU – the Clean Air Act was introduced in 1956 – and our strong commitment to environmental issues will continue after the UK leaves the EU.

    We are now preparing to negotiate our exit. Defra will continue to ensure the right policies are in place for a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone.

    Defra will be working with the Department for Exiting the EU on the UK’s withdrawal and future relationship with the EU, liaising closely with other key Departments on future support for farmers, the food and drink industry and the environment. The Government will work with industry and the public to develop these new arrangements.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 5.2.13 of the Review of the National Referral Mechanism for victims of human trafficking, published in November 2014, on country-by-country differences in acceptance rates not suggesting a nationality bias, whether her Department conducted statistical tests to inform that conclusion.

    Sarah Newton

    The paragraph in question was informed by the data shown in Figure 6 of the National Referral Mechanism Review. The review can be found here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/467434/Review_of_the_National_Referral_Mechanism_for_victims_of_human_trafficking.pdf

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding his Department provides for local authorities to discharge their responsibilities for vulnerable adult transport.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    It is for local authorities to allocate funding to individual services from their overall budget.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on public safety of placing the regulation of (a) drones and (b) unmanned aerial vehicles within the purview of the Civil Aviation Authority.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the independent statutory authority responsible for regulating civil aircraft, including RPAS and small drones. However, the Department recognises that there are types of offenses relating to drones that are not aviation specific or pose an aviation risk and are more social, so the degree to which the CAA should be involved is currently under review.

    We are currently developing a Memorandum of Understanding between the DfT, the CAA, the Home Office and Police to better establish where responsibility lies for enforcing breaches of drone related regulations

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many Legionnaires’ disease incidents have been reported in each prison since May 2010.

    Ben Gummer

    Due to small numbers involved and risk of deductive disclosure, the number of cases of Legionella pneumonia in people in prisons in England cannot be provided.