Tag: 2016

Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they intend to make to ensure that decisions on follow-up and review of the World Health Organization’s report Health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are fully integrated into the work of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum when following-up and reviewing the United Nations 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.

Baroness Verma

The UK is fully engaged in the development of the follow up and review mechanisms for the United Nations High-Level Political Forum.

As these mechanisms become clearer we will promote alignment with the accountability processes for specific goals and themes in the 2030 Agenda, including the World Health Organization’s report: Health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

01/01/2023
Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-07-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Motability Scheme funds cars, powerchairs and mobility scooters but does not extend to cycles.

Lord Freud

Motability is an independent charitable organisation wholly responsible for the Motability scheme. Operational decisions, such as what types of vehicles the scheme should provide, are for Motability to make. They can be contacted at Director of Motability, Motability, Warwick House, Roydon Road, Harlow, Essex, CM19 5PX.

01/01/2023
Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that farmers continue to have access to sufficient seasonal labourers after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robert Goodwill

As part of the process for leaving the EU and dealing with its impacts on various sectors, the Home Secretary will continue to work closely with colleagues across Whitehall and the Government will engage with relevant stakeholders including those in the agricultural industry.

01/01/2023
Ian Liddell-Grainger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Liddell-Grainger on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what research her Department has conducted or commissioned on the link between poor sanitation and associated hygiene practices and maternal and newborn health and survival.

Mr Nick Hurd

DFID is providing £16 million over 8 years for SHARE (Sanitation and Hygiene Applied Research for Equity), a research consortium led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. SHARE has funded five key studies which have significantly advanced our understanding of this critical issue and put water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) firmly on the global maternal & newborn health (MNH) agenda. Research includes a systematic review establishing the impact of WASH on maternal mortality and a cohort study in Odisha, India that has provided the first rigorous evidence that poor sanitation during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, low birthweight, spontaneous abortion and still birth

DFID is also providing £7.2 million of funding to support the Sanitation, Hygiene Infant Nutrition Efficacy (SHINE) trial currently underway in Zimbabwe. The trial aims to prove and describe the causal relationship between sanitation and child stunting.

01/01/2023
Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of Daesh fighters in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The political crisis in Yemen remains extremely concerning, particularly the risk that terrorist organisations such as Daesh-Yemen continue to exploit the deteriorating situation to consolidate their support base and capabilities in Yemen. Throughout 2015, we saw an expansion of Daesh-Yemen, albeit starting from a small base. We continue to work with regional and international partners to tackle the threat posed by terrorist organisations including Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Daesh-Yemen. For operational reasons we cannot comment in detail on this activity.

01/01/2023

Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the proportion of rivers, lakes, coastal and ground waters in the UK that (a) are compliant with the EU Water Framework Directive and (b) will be so compliant by 2020; and when she expects all UK waters to achieve good status.

Rory Stewart

The principle environmental objective of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) is to protect and enhance all bodies of surface and groundwater so as to prevent deterioration, with the aim of achieving good status for all water bodies by December 2015. The WFD provides exemptions which allow the deadline to be extended to 2021 or 2027 and, in some cases, a less stringent objective to be set, for reasons of disproportionate cost or technical feasibility.

Implementation of the WFD in the UK is a devolved matter. In England, 19% of water bodies are currently good status or better, 22% are predicted to achieve good status or better by 2021, and 75% of all water bodies have an objective of good or better status.

The breakdown by water category is detailed in the table below.

	% water bodies at good or better now	% water bodies predicted to be achieve good by 2021	% water bodies with an objective of good or better
Rivers	17		20	74
Lakes	16		19	80
Coastal	44		48	71
Transitional (estuarine)	21		25	58
Groundwater	42		48	72
All waters	19		22	75

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01/01/2023

Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who is leading the team which will undertake the national security checking of the text of the Iraq Inquiry report.

Matthew Hancock

The following Departments will be involved in National Security checking: Cabinet Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and the Intelligence Agencies.

National Security checking will ensure that the Government meets its obligations under Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights so that on publication the lives or safety of individuals are not put at risk. It will also ensure that publication of the report will not compromise national security.

01/01/2023
Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what types of data they envisage bus companies outside London will have to make available under the provisions of the Bus Services Bill.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The provisions of the Bus Services Bill enable the creation of a single repository of information that could contain information about routes, timetables, fares and tickets, as well as live information about bus arrival times. The information would be open to the public and could be used by software developers to create, for example, information applications for mobile devices.

The detail of what information is to be provided, and in what format, will be developed through close consultation with bus operators, local transport authorities and potential users and will be included in secondary legislation subject to the affirmative procedure.

01/01/2023
Lord Sharkey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Sharkey on 2016-07-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 12 July (HL883), which Muslim organisations affected by the withdrawal of banking services they continue to work closely with…to better understand their experiences and encourage dialogue with the banking sector”; how that working closely manifests itself; and what is their assessment of the outcomes of that close working.”

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

Ministers and officials have received representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals who have been affected by account closure. Officials have discussed the issue of access to banking with individual Muslim organisations as well as representative groups such as the Muslim Charities Forum and Bond.

The Government remains concerned about the growth of de-risking and the implications it has for NGOs, economic growth, financial inclusion and financial stability. We recognise that this trend remains a global problem, and have taken concrete steps to address this. We put the issue on the G20 agenda in 2015 and, closer to home, we have encouraged the banking sector to produce new guidance to help those affected by de-risking to open a UK bank account, by setting out what information banks will require in order to comply with relevant regulation and the questions they will need to ask. We have encouraged those affected to consider using their bank’s formal complaint service or, if they believe they have been treated unfairly or unreasonably, to consider referring the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service. We have also encouraged those affected to use the Business Account Finder provided by MoneyFacts to locate an alternative account provider.

In order to continue dialogue with the NGO community on these matters, a Government-NGO Working Group will shortly be convened to explore concerns and identify solutions on the impact of regulation and banking practices on NGO operations in fragile states. The group will examine the specific challenges faced in getting aid into hard-to-reach communities.

01/01/2023
Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department is providing for children displaced in the Iraq conflict against Daesh; and what that funding will be used for.

Rory Stewart

On 21 September, the UK announced an extra £40 million of humanitarian funding to Iraq, taking our total commitment to £169.5 million since June 2014. This new support will be targeted specifically to enable a scale up of humanitarian assistance ahead of Mosul operations. An element of this support will aim to help protect civilians displaced as a result of the operations – including children.

The UK is the largest contributor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, through which the UK has helped thousands of displaced girls and boys to receive education, vaccinations and other forms of support. Our assistance also includes cash programming, which provides the most vulnerable Iraqis with the opportunity to purchase items to address their most urgent needs. For instance, it gives parents the opportunity to buy medicines, clothing and other necessities for their children.

01/01/2023