Tag: 2016

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding or support they have provided to the Kenya Defence Forces, Kenyan police forces, including the anti-terror police and the National Intelligence Service, and the Kenyan Wildlife Service in each of the last three years.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK and Kenya have a shared interest in tackling terrorist threats, and in line with the UK’s approach to address terrorism overseas we are committed to supporting the Government of Kenya and building capacity to counter this shared threat.

The Kenyan Defence Force (KDF) received approximately £640,000 in 2013/14, £870,000 in 2014/15, and £1,110,000 in 2015/16. The bulk of this money over the three years was for pre-deployment training with the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), including human rights training on sexual and gender based violence. In addition, the KDF received £22,000 as part of a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat maintenance package from 2013-15.

The Kenyan Police Force (KPF) received approximately £140,000 in 2013/14, £156,000 in 2014/15, and £356,000 in 2015/16. Our 2015-16 programmes support police reform and strengthen the accountability of the Kenyan National Police Service.

The Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) does not receive direct funding from the Government. However, the KWS is a project partner on three projects through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The three projects receive around £790,000 over the period 2014-2018. In 2015/16, 6 KWS employees were part of an i2 Notebook and Intelligence Analysis training course. The overall cost was £105,000.

01/01/2023
Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the potential contribution of measures to support freedom of religion and belief to achieving (a) Sustainable Development Goal 16 and (b) other sustainable development goals.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK will continue to promote universal human rights as an integral part of building prosperity and stability around the world and attaches great importance to ensuring that people of all faiths can participate fully in society and live without fear of abuse or discrimination. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) leads on the UK’s work in promoting freedom of religion and belief overseas. DFID works closely with the FCO to raise concerns about freedom of religion with partner governments to ensure that all citizens can claim their rights. This is indeed part of our work to promote the golden thread of democracy, and achieve Goal 16 and the other Sustainable Development Goals. For the UK, the Sustainable Development Goals’ pledge to leave no one behind is one of the most important principles of the post-2015 Agenda. We have been a champion of Goal 16 to promote peaceful and inclusive societies and access to justice for all. We are working to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals will be monitored closely.

01/01/2023
Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy regarding Somali refugees in Kenya and the presence of Kenyan armed forces in Somalia.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government recognises the significant burden that the Government of Kenya faces in housing a large number of Somali refugees. We encourage the Government of Kenya to maintain its global leadership role on this issue as well as its international obligations. We, and the international community, support the continued dialogue with the Government of Somalia and the Tripartite agreement which provides a legal framework for the voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees.

We strongly support Kenyan troops deployed to Somalia as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). AMISOM has made important progress against Al Shabaab since 2007, who continue to pose a significant terrorist threat in Somali and the region. We greatly value the contribution made by Kenya and the other troop contributing countries, and recognise the sacrifices that the Kenyan Defence Forces are making.

01/01/2023
Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-07-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects to (a) issue the local authority self-assessment questionnaire on implementation of the adult autism strategy, (b) receive all responses from local authorities and (c) publish the results of the questionnaire.

David Mowat

The fourth local authority self-assessment questionnaire on implementation of the adult autism strategy is expected to be issued under a joint letter from the Department and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, to Directors of Adult Social Services, before the end of July. This is with the aim of receiving responses by 17 October 2016. As with previous exercises, Public Health England will collate and analyse the data received and publish full results and all the individual responses. An exact date for publication has not yet been set but this is likely to happen in the period February to March 2017.

01/01/2023
Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of (a) the performance of Circle Holdings Plc in the delivery of musculoskeletal services in Bedford and (b) whether Circle Holdings Plc is meeting its national access targets; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne

The assessment of the performance of musculoskeletal (MSK) services in Bedfordshire is a matter for the local National Health Service.

Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) advises that it monitors Circle’s performance closely through monthly contract meetings and Service Quality and Performance Reports.

The CCG advises that Circle Clinical Services Limited is the Prime Contract provider for MSK services for over 18s in the Bedfordshire area, and is responsible for managing the whole patient pathway. Circle itself does not provide clinical services to patients as part of this contract, but refers patients on to local hospital and community based providers subject to patient choice. Circle therefore does not submit data on national Referral to Treatment waiting time standards in relation to MSK services in Bedfordshire. Waiting times data is included in the data return from the patient’s hospital or community provider.

01/01/2023

Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been spent on (a) maintenance of and (b) upgrade works for (i) Tornado, (ii) Typhoon and (iii) Reaper drones in each of the last six years.

Mr Philip Dunne

The costs of maintenance and capability upgrades for Tornado, Typhoon and the Reaper Unmanned Air System, in each of the last six financial years, are shown in the table below.

	Financial year (£ million)
	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Tornado: capability upgrade work	87.2	69.3	33.3	28.9	58.2	45.6
Tornado: maintenance	311.0	303.8	369.7	344.2	247.7	184.9
Typhoon: capability upgrade work	0	0	0	0	66.8	178.4
Typhoon: maintenance	392.7	475.3	499.6	294.8	313.1	460.2
Reaper: maintenance	4.8	4.8	4.8	9.8	27.1	23.5
Reaper: capability upgrade work	0.2	0.4	0.4	0.6	1.3	1.3

Note: Costs for all platforms are extracted from the equipment support programme budget.

“

01/01/2023

Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the deadline is for making an application to the EU Solidarity Fund in relation to the Cumbria floods.

James Wharton

Applications for the European Solidarity Fund must be received by the Commission within 12 weeks of the date of first damage caused by the disaster.

01/01/2023
Chris Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Leslie on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes to the Disabled Students’ Allowance on the number of university applications in the forthcoming academic year.

Joseph Johnson

The reform of Disabled Students’ Allowances is intended to ensure higher education institutions are consistently meeting their duties to disabled students under the Equality Act, and is not expected to impact on application rates.

The Government carried out an Equality Analysis as part of the recent consultation on reforms to Disabled Students’ Allowances. This is available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/481527/bis-15-658-disabled-students-allowances-equality-analysis.pdf

“

01/01/2023
Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all drone owners are aware of restrictions on their use and the risks they pose.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Civil Aviation Authority is undertaking activities to raise awareness of the basic safety requirements, including an ongoing ‘Dronecode’ safety awareness campaign, issuing safety leaflets at the point of sale, publishing an animated video on their website, and running ‘small UAS’ Risk and Hazard workshops with industry as part of the Mid Air Collision Programme.

Officials from my Department are actively considering with the CAA the development of an expanded and diversified communication and education campaign, to include more mediums and supporting products, such as smart phone applications.

The Secretary of State will be writing to the police to request their assistance in raising awareness of drone risks and restrictions.

01/01/2023
Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeff Smith on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many smart (a) electric and (b) gas meters have been installed in (i) Manchester, Withington constituency, (ii) Greater Manchester and (iii) the UK since the smart meter programme was implemented.

Andrea Leadsom

Data on the number of smart electricity and gas meters installed in Great Britain is set out in the Government’s ‘Smart Meters, Great Britain, Quarterly report to end December 2015’, published on 31 March 2016:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistical-release-and-data-smart-meters-great-britain-quarter-4-2015

The roll-out is making good progress with more than 3 million meters now operating under the Programme which covers Great Britain. Northern Ireland is undertaking a separate roll-out programme.

Data is not collected from energy suppliers in a way that allows constituency or regional-level data to be produced.

“

01/01/2023