Tag: 2016

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2016 to Question 21501, how much of the Operational Plan budget relates to funding to assist with the effect of the refugee situation in Syria.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID’s entire £47 million Operational Plan budget for Jordan in the financial year 2015/16 has been allocated to respond to the effects of the Syria crisis. Around £37 million of this funding will provide humanitarian assistance and services to refugees in camps and living in host communities. The remaining £10 millionwill support the delivery of basic services in those municipalities with most refugees, and support basic education services to support the integration of Syrian refugee children into the education system.

    As a result of Daesh’s brutality, a separate humanitarian crisis has also emerged in Iraq. To date, the UK has committed £79.5 million to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. DFID’s operational budget for Iraq in 2015-16 is provided on the basis of need and does not differentiate between internally displaced people and refugees.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the installation by China of missile launchers on Woody Island in the South China Sea; what representations he has made to China on that matter; and if he will discuss with his Japanese counterpart what steps the UK and Japan can take to oppose the militarisation of the South China Sea.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We are very concerned about Chinese missile deployments on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands as reported in the media on 17 February. We oppose any actions which are likely to increase tensions in the South China Sea, including militarisation. We urge all parties to exercise restraint, to pursue the settlement of disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, and to uphold freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight.

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has held detailed discussions with his Japanese counterpart about the South China Sea, most recently, during his visit to Japan in January for the annual UK-Japan Foreign and Defence Ministerial talks. Following those meetings the UK and Japan released a joint statement setting out our shared concerns about the situation in the South China Sea, calling on all parties to refrain from activities that increase tension and to pursue urgently the settlement of the maritime disputes peacefully in accordance with international law.

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that Salva Kiir and Riek Machar are included in UN Security Council-authorised sanctions imposed on generals obstructing the peace efforts in South Sudan.

    James Duddridge

    Our efforts are focussed on ensuring President Kiir and Riek Machar implement the peace agreement, starting with the formation of the transitional government. We will continue to assess the need for targeted sanctions against South Sudan’s political and military leaders. We strongly support a UN arms embargo for South Sudan and are actively pursuing this with our UN Security Council partners.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how he has assessed that EU Directive 41/2003 has been properly implemented in respect of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    We are satisfied that the national legislative framework governing occupational pension schemes, including the local government pension scheme in England and Wales, is consistent with EU Directive 41/2003. I will place a copy of the Government’s transposition table for the Directive in the House Library.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 2.28 of the White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, published in March 2016, how her Department plans to determine which universities will be able to establish a centre of excellence in initial teacher training.

    Nick Gibb

    The Government’s White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, confirmed that we intend to use a new set of quality criteria to determine how initial teacher training (ITT) places are allocated to training providers in future, ensuring that training is concentrated with the highest-quality providers. On the basis of these criteria, which will include factors such as the quality of trainees recruited, the quality of the training programmes, and the quality of outcomes for trainees, we will designate some providers as Centres of Excellence. We expect to set out further details of the quality criteria that will apply for the 2017/18 training year, and which providers will be designated as Centres of Excellence, when we confirm the methodology for allocating places, which is currently under discussion.

    The Department for Education has actively been engaging the ITT sector in discussions about the proposals in the White Paper, including the establishment of ITT Centres of Excellence. Engagement to date has included a series of roundtable discussion events for university- and school-led providers and their representative bodies, such as the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) and the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT).

    We expect to confirm the allocations methodology for 2017/18 after further consultation with providers and their representative organisations over the summer, in time for the start of recruitment in the autumn term.

  • 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 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will ensure that the UK continues to have access to EU security agreements and policing protocols used to combat terrorism following withdrawal from the EU.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    The Government continues to work closely with European partners, as with other international allies, to combat the threat from terrorist groups. That includes strong bilateral cooperation and the continued use of a range of EU tools that contribute to keeping our citizens safe. Following the referendum, the UK retains its rights and obligations as a full member of the EU, up to the point at which we exit.

    The Government is clear that effective cooperation with EU Member States on security and policing in order to combat terrorism will continue to be a UK priority, and key partners have confirmed their commitment to continue to work closely in an area where the UK has played a key role in advancing European capability.

    As part of the exit negotiations, we will need to consider the full range of options to ensure effective cooperation after the UK leaves the EU. This will include taking into account the evolving nature of the terrorist threat we face.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent representations she has received on schools covering costs on behalf of parents and the ensuing parental debt.

    Edward Timpson

    The department does not hold data from which to supply the information requested.

  • Lord Faulkner of Worcester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Faulkner of Worcester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Faulkner of Worcester on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role the Sports Grounds Safety Authority will play in delivering accessible sports grounds.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    We are in discussions with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority on what role they will play in delivering accessible sports grounds.

  • Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on implementing plans for new Intercity Express Programme and Thameslink rolling stock.

    Claire Perry

    Both rolling stock programmes are on schedule with the first trains for each undergoing testing on the network as planned. Thameslink trains will enter passenger service this spring and IEP trains will enter service on the Great Western Main Line from 2017 and the East Coast Main Line from 2018. The investment in infrastructure together with these fleets of modern trains will deliver increased peak time capacity, reliability and improved connections that will transform journeys for passengers on routes in the South East, through London and out to Scotland and Wales.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library copies of the local blueprint submissions for the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan.

    George Freeman

    These plans are for local use, and there are no plans to publish them centrally. Local areas may publish their plans if they so choose.