Tag: Catherine West

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Government plans to continue to participate in the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr David Jones

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 17th October 2016 to the Question 47173.

Nothing has yet been decided on whether the UK will continue participation in the European Centre for Disease Control after leaving the European Union. Officials in both the Department of Health and the Department for Exiting the European Union are considering the position and options available to us with the aim of achieving the best outcome for the UK health system and for the UK as a whole.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many instances of Islamophobic abuse have been recorded in each of the last 12 months.

Sarah Newton

The Home Office does not hold the requested information. The Home Office has published data for 2011/12 to 2014/15 on hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales for the five centrally monitored strands (race, religion, sexual orientation, disability and gender identity) but these data cannot be broken down by religion of the victim. The 2015/16 data will have been published on 13 October 2016.

From April 2016, the Home Office began collecting data from the police on the targeted religion of religious hate crime offences in order to help forces build community trust, target their resources and enable the public to better hold them to account. This information will be provided voluntarily in 2016/17, but we intend to make it mandatory from the following year. We will publish the first data from this collection in the 2016/17 Hate Crime statistics publication in 2017.

This Government is committed to tackling hate crime. The UK has one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to tackle hate crime. We are working across Government with police, (including National Community Tensions Team), the Crown Prosecution Service and community partners to send out a clear message that hate crime will not be tolerated and we will vigorously pursue and prosecute those who commit these crimes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Prime Minister, (b) the Attorney General and (c) the Secretary of State for Defence on the implications for Government policies of the Joint Declaration for the Export and Subsequent Use of Armed or Strike-Enabled unmanned Aerial Vehicles issued on 5 October 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan

The Foreign Secretary has had no direct discussions with the Prime Minister, or Defence Secretary on this US-led initiative. It is longstanding government policy not to comment on consultations with the Attorney General. Both the Foreign Secretary, and the Rt Hon Earl Howe (as Defence Minister with responsibility for this area) agreed that the Joint Declaration by 45 nations on the export and subsequent use of armed or strike-enabled unmanned aerial vehicles was consistent with, a reiteration of, existing UK Government policy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what overseas visits he has made since his appointment.

Mr David Jones

The Prime Minister has been clear we will not give a running commentary on our EU exit negotiations. We will ensure that we engage closely with all relevant interlocutors.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2016 to Question 47281, if her Department will allocate funds to long-term projects in Haiti to address the lack of health infrastructure in that country caused by Hurricane Matthew.

Rory Stewart

In addition to the £5m of support to help thousands of people affected by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, DFID announced a further £3m on 16 October to strengthen the response to cholera and wider health concerns. The UK has provided a total of more than £46m to Haiti since 2010, which has included support to Haiti’s health sector. The priority now is to reach those affected by Hurricane Matthew and provide them with water, sanitation, healthcare and shelter. DFID is leading, with other key donors, on lobbying for an improved response to the hurricane, and is working to meet the needs of the most affected. DFID continues to provide support, including to the country’s health infrastructure, through multilateral contributions to UN agencies, the World Bank, the EU and other international institutions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to publish a timetable for those UK’s Overseas Territories with financial centres producing credible plans to adopt public registers of beneficial ownership.

James Duddridge

The Government is in discussion with the governments of the Overseas Territories on their plans to improve company transparency. The Territories have agreed to hold beneficial ownership information in central registers, or similarly effective systems, which need to meet the three criteria the UK set out in a letter to Territory leaders in March 2015. These are laid out in the answer my hon. Friend, the Member for South West Hertfordshire (David Gauke MP), gave on 16 October 2015 (PQ10437, PQ10438 and PQ10448).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the Government plans to respond to the terrorist bombings in Jakarta in January 2016.

Mr Hugo Swire

The UK and Indonesia are already working closely together on a broad range of issues, including counter-terrorism and counter-extremism. We continue to provide support and assistance to the Indonesian government as it works to defeat those who plan and perpetrate acts of terror.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the situation in the Kurdish town of Cizre.

Mr David Lidington

Security operations, including military curfews, are continuing in Cizre and other towns in south-east Turkey against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its youth wing, the YPS (Civil Protection Units, formerly the YDG-H). There has been intense fighting in recent days. One policeman and one soldier were killed on 9 February. Our condolences are with the families of the soldiers and police who have been killed, and with civilians caught up in the violence. We continue to call for the PKK to end its terrorist attacks and for the peace process to be resumed. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Turkey have emphasised to the Turkish government the need to respect human rights and avoid civilian casualties. We stand ready to help in any way we can.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether school funding for (a) inner London boroughs and (b) outer London boroughs will decrease in the next financial year.

Mr Sam Gyimah

I can assure my Hon Friend that per pupil funding for a) inner London boroughs and b) outer London boroughs will not decline in the next financial year. The dedicated schools grant schools block is maintained at cash flat per pupil for the 2016 to 2017 financial year for all local authorities. In addition, the pupil premium is also maintained at the current per pupil amounts for the 2016 to 2017 financial year. As announced in the Chancellor’s spending review statement, we will introduce a national funding formula from 2017. We will consult on proposals later this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.

Mr David Lidington

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) contracts out cleaning services relating to the FCO’s UK estate to Interserve as part of its facilities management contract. Interserve are responsible for setting rates of pay for their staff. They have informed the FCO that they currently pay £7.04 per hour to staff for cleaning the FCO’s buildings.

The National Living Wage will come into effect on 1 April and all employers, including Interserve, will be required to pay all staff, aged 25 years and above a minimum of £7.20 per hour.