The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-07-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on how many (a) Saharawi and (b) Moroccan people are employed by MINURSO in Western Sahara.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office holds no information on the ethnicity or origin of United Nations staff.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-11-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2015 to Question 13632, on what dates in May 2015 he met (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) other ministers in HM Treasury to discuss the potential effects in Scotland of a carbon price support exemption scheme.
David Mundell
As indicated in my previous answers on this issue, I have had a number of meetings and discussions this year, both formal and informal, on the important issue of opencast restoration and in particular the proposal for a carbon price support exemption. These have included discussions with colleagues from HM Treasury, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Scottish Government and Local Authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many Syrians are temporarily displaced within Syria; and how many such people are displaced from (a) Daesh controlled areas, (b) Syrian government controlled areas and (c) other areas of conflict.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have pledged over £1.1 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We are the second largest bilateral donor after the US.
The UN estimates that there are now 6.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) inside Syria.
We are unable to assess the exact numbers of people displaced from areas controlled by different parties to the conflict. Estimations of internal displacement are complicated by shifting front lines and the fact that most Syrian IDPs have been displaced multiple times.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on the BBC Charter Renewal process.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Good progress is being made on the BBC Charter Review programme.
The consultation launched in July received an incredible 192,000 responses. We are committed to reading and analysing all of the responses and reached 150,000 earlier this month.
In addition, I have commissioned further reviews and research, including an independent review of governance and regulation led by Sir David Clementi.
In the coming months my department will work towards publishing proposals for the future of the BBC.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the anticipated date is for the Hinkley Point C reactor to start transmitting electricity to the National Grid; and whether the proposed contract for that reactor includes punitive measures for delay beyond that date.
Andrea Leadsom
EDF have said that they expect Hinkley Point C to start generating electricity in 2025. The Contracts for Difference (CfD) payment term in the proposed contract is 35 years with a target commissioning date of 2025 for each reactor. The target commissioning window for each reactor is four years from its target commissioning date (subject to Force Majeure). In the event that either reactor is not commissioned by the end of its target commissioning window, the CfD payment term for that reactor is shortened commensurately for each day of delay through to the long stop date. If neither reactor has been commissioned by four years after the last day of the target commissioning window for reactor 2 i.e. November 2033 (the longstop date), the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) has the option to terminate the contract.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the government of Morocco on the holding of a free and fair referendum on the governance of Western Sahara.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
It is for the parties to the dispute to agree a resolution of the final status of Western Sahara. The UK encourages both sides to cooperate with the United Nations process to reach a mutually acceptable solution that provides for the self-determination for the people of Western Sahara.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-07-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the UN Security Council on setting a date for a free and fair referendum in Western Sahara with an option for independence on the ballot paper.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
It is for the parties to the dispute to agree a resolution of the final status of Western Sahara. The UK encourages both sides to cooperate with the United Nations process to reach a mutually acceptable solution that provides for the self-determination for the people of Western Sahara.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the loss of skilled manufacturing jobs to other countries in the EU.
Anna Soubry
The best way the Government can help retain skilled manufacturing jobs in the UK is by continuing to ensure a strong economy. We are cutting red tape by a further £10billion, creating three million apprenticeships and lowering corporation tax. This will create the right economic conditions to encourage the investment crucial to UK manufacturing productivity growth and jobs. The UK is the number one destination in Europe for foreign direct investment and around a third of the 2,000 new inward Foreign Direct Investment projects in 2014/15 were in the areas of advanced manufacturing and life sciences. Since the Government’s Reshore UK initiative was launched in January 2014, it has advised more than 140 companies, helping to create or safeguard 4,789 jobs so far, with over 4,000 more in the pipeline.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of how many barrels of oil Daesh sells through Turkey on a daily basis.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
There are no reliable statistics available on how much oil, and related products, are smuggled over the border to Turkey. However, last year the Turkish government greatly increased the number of border guards to tackle oil smuggling across its border with Syria and captured 79 million litres of smuggled oil.
We work closely with Turkey and there is no evidence to suggest that the Turkish government has been involved in the oil trade.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Leader of the House, what progress the Government is making on reform of the Estimates process.
Chris Grayling
Estimates are formal requests for authorisation of expenditure proposed to the House by the Government. Scrutiny of these, which are effectively departmental budgets, is undertaken in a variety of ways including debates selected by the Liaison Committee and it is open to select committees to examine these budgets.
The Procedure Committee has recently announced that it will examine the House’s procedures for examining the Estimates and the passing of legislation which authorises this expenditure through the Supply and Consideration Bill.
The Committee is accepting written submissions until 25 March 2016.