The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-06-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much of Area C of the Occupied Palestinian Territory is covered by approved masterplans.
Mr Alan Duncan
Palestinian masterplans developed by the International Peace and Cooperation Centre (IPCC) cover approximately 0.4% of Area C. To date, only two of these have been approved.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-06-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when the construction of the first infrastructure project funded by her Department in Area C of the Occupied Palestinian Territory will commence.
Mr Alan Duncan
DFID and our partners are currently engaging with the Israeli authorities in order to accelerate the approval of UK-funded masterplans for Palestinian communities in Area C. These Palestinian plans provide the basis for sustainable development in Area C and reduce the risk of demolition. We continue to consider the full range of measures to continue our support for Palestinians in Area C.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-06-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 73W, on Israel, how many complaints about differential treatment of British nationals have been made since 2010 by the UK embassy in Tel Aviv to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and on which dates.
Hugh Robertson
Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have formally raised with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) mistreatment of British nationals three times since 2010. They were on 7 January 2012; 19 December 2012 and 18 March 2013. Our officials have to seek permission from the individual concerned before raising with the MFA, and not all individuals are willing to pursue this route.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is unable to interfere in the immigration policies or procedures of another country, but does raise cases of grave concern with the MFA.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-03-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of long-term trends in the number of hours of literacy teaching which primary school children receive and how this affects reading and writing attainment.
Elizabeth Truss
We do not collect data on the number of hours of literacy teaching primary school children receive.
We are committed to raising standards of literacy in schools and making sure that every child masters the basics of reading and writing at a young age. The new primary national curriculum for English is explicitly designed to make sure that all children leave primary school fully literate and ready to progress at secondary school.
The new national curriculum sets out very clearly what should be taught to pupils. However, it gives school the flexibility to decide how to teach it, including how much time to spend on teaching literacy, because schools are best placed to determine the needs and abilities of their pupils and how to meet them.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Israeli citizens were found to be working in the UK without an appropriate visa in each of the last five years.
James Brokenshire
The following table gives the number of Israeli nationals arrested on illegal
working type enforcement visits from 2009 to 2013.
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Table 1 – Israeli nationals arrested on illegal working type enforcement visits, 2009 to 2013
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with Israeli authorities on discrimination against UK citizens of Palestinian or Arab origin by Israeli border control.
Hugh Robertson
Our Embassy in Tel Aviv raises complaints where British nationals appear to have been subjected to differential treatment by Israeli border control on the basis of their race or ethnicity with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Israeli government on extending to UK citizens of Palestinian origin visiting Israel similar concessions to those Israel has offered to the US administration in exchange for Israel’s entry to the US visa waiver scheme.
Hugh Robertson
We have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned on diabulimia in teenagers and young adults.
Dr Daniel Poulter
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for South Yorkshire from 2008 to 2013. The CLAHRC carried out a programme of research on young people with Type 1 diabetes including research relating to eating disorders in this patient group. Outputs include papers published in the journal Diabetic Medicine.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the additional costs resulting from Israeli border, access and planning controls to UK-funded development projects in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Mr Alan Duncan
No such assessment has been possible. UK aid helps to finance the Palestinian Authority’s fiscal deficit, which would significantly decrease if Israeli movement and access restrictions in the OPTs were lifted. The World Bank estimates that if Israeli restrictions were lifted in ‘Area C’ of the West Bank alone, the Palestinian economy would expand by more than a third and potentially would not require international donor assistance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the European Commission and her counterparts in EU member states on compensation requests to Israeli authorities for EU-funded aid projects demolished by the Israeli authorities.
Mr Alan Duncan
DFID and the EU regularly lobby Israel against the illegal demolition of Palestinian homes and infrastructure, and the forced transfer of people in Area C and East Jerusalem.