Tag: Catherine West

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has raised with his Turkish counterpart the issue of Turkish academics being banned from international travel.

Sir Alan Duncan

The UK Government has strongly condemned the attempted coup on 15 July and stands firmly in support of Turkey’s democratically elected government and institutions. I visited Turkey on 20-21 July to reiterate our support for democracy in Turkey. In meetings with Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, amongst others, I stressed the need for Turkey to respect human rights and the rule of law.

We have been concerned to hear reports of academics being suspended and investigated. Freedom of expression is vital in a democratic society, and especially in education. That includes the right to express views we might think are mistaken, or one-sided. Public debate should be encouraged –not suppressed. Private travel for most academics remains unimpeded. As with all Special Passport holders, academics with a Special Passport need a letter from their employer stating they have permission to travel. Academics can travel abroad for work with permission from their rectors and a written invitation from the hosts.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and to stress to the Turkish government the importance of ensuring that all measures taken are proportionate and justified

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much his Department has allocated to schemes to encourage investment in solar energy in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman

Over the past five years, solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, wave and tidal electricity projects have received support from either the Renewables Obligation (RO) or the Feed-in Tariff (FITs).

Expenditure through the Renewables Obligation in 2011/12 to 2015/16 can be broken down by power generation technology shown in the table (£million in nominal prices). Solar PV and some small-scale onshore wind are also supported by the Feed In Tariff scheme, but costs are not available disaggregated by technology. Total support is shown below (£million).

RO (£million)	11/12	12/13	13/14	14/15	15/16
Onshore wind	£482.6	£557.1	£755.6	£786.8	£803.0
Offshore wind	£371.1	£698.5	£988.7	£1,108.0	£1,429.7
Solar PV	£0.1	£0.9	£34.9	£133.9	£264.8
Wave & Tidal	£0.1	£0.4	£0.4	£0.1	£0.2
TOTAL RO	£1,457.7	£1,991.3	£2,599.3	£3,114.2	£3,743.2
TOTAL FITs	£151	£506	£691	£866	£1,110

Renewables Obligations: Source Ofgem:

www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/ro/contacts-publications-and-data/publications-library-renewables-obligation

www.ofgem.gov.uk/publication-and-updates/renewables-obligation-ro-annual-report-2014-15

www.renewablesandchp.ofgem.gov.uk/Public/ReportManager.aspx?ReportVisibility=1&ReportCategory=0

FITs: Source Ofgem:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/fit/contacts-guidance-and-resources/public-reports-and-data-fit/levelisation-reports

The Contracts for Difference Scheme opened for delivery from 2015/16 onwards. No projects started deploying in 2015/16 so no payments were made.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans continued participation in the European Intellectual Property Office after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson

The European Intellectual Property Office is a decentralised Agency of the European Union. After leaving the EU, UK businesses will continue to be able to apply to that organisation for EU Trade Marks and Registered Community Designs covering the member states of the EU.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations she has made to her counterparts in (a) Haiti, (b) Jamaica, (c) Cuba and (d) the Bahamas on humanitarian aid to address the damage caused by hurricane Matthew.

Rory Stewart

The Secretary of State has been monitoring the impact of Hurricane Matthew closely and has announced up to £5 million to support Haiti where many of those most affected live. The DFID team in Haiti and Foreign and Commonwealth Office embassies and High Commissions in the region are in close contact with relevant authorities in order to understand the impact and programme these funds effectively.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Pakistani counterpart on the death penalty in that country.

Alok Sharma

The UK remains firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances. Abolitionist work is high on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) agenda and is part of the day-to-day work of all diplomatic missions to countries that retain the death penalty. The FCO human rights and democracy report 2015 makes clear our views on the death penalty and the resumption of executions in Pakistan.

The former Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Philip Hammond), raised the issue of the death penalty with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2015, and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Tobias Ellwood), wrote subsequently to the Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK expressing deep concern about ongoing executions. Together with our EU partners, we continue to raise our concerns about the death penalty with the Government of Pakistan and urge compliance with its international obligations.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his recent assessment is of the (a) security situation and (b) state of human rights in Rojava region of Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The security situation in Syria remains extremely volatile and dangerous. There is widespread fighting throughout Syria. Full scale military operations involving the use of small arms, tanks, artillery and aircraft are ongoing. We advise against all travel to Syria, without geographic exception.

The UK Government does not recognise the self-declared Rojava region in Syria. We continue to have concerns about the human rights situation in areas under the control of the PYD and its allies. Human Rights Watch and others have reported the abduction and arbitrary arrest of political opponents. Amnesty International has also highlighted reports of arbitrary detentions and unfair trials of those deemed to support Daesh without credible evidence, and the demolition of civilian homes and forced displacement of civilians. We continue to press the PYD to address these concerns; and for the PYD and all other actors to adopt a pluralistic approach, inclusive of all ethnic groups, and to abide by international human rights standards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government is responsible for the Overseas Territories legal compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Sir Alan Duncan

The protection and promotion of human rights are primarily the responsibility of territory governments. However, as the State party, the UK Government is ultimately responsible under international law for the Overseas Territories’ compliance with their international obligations. These include any international treaty to which the UK has extended its ratification, such as the European Convention on Human Rights.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to increase inclusivity for disabled people of the Approved Apprenticeship programmes.

Nick Boles

Apprenticeships are paid jobs, and whilst we would not want to interfere in employers’ recruitment decisions, we believe there is more that can be done to ensure that people from a diverse range of backgrounds are in the best possible place to apply for and secure an apprenticeship. For instance, the availability of reasonable adjustments for disabled learners (who can apply for Access to Work funding) and the accessibility of online tests. Employers must fulfil their duties as set out in the Equality Act 2010 for apprentices as they would for other employees.

Government also fully funds apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan). Apprentices aged 19 to 24 without an EHC Plan, who have a learning difficulty and/or disability can benefit from additional funding through Learning Support.

Advice is also available to help employers and training providers understand disabilities and how to better support disabled apprentices. We have funded NIACE to produce an employer toolkit http://www.employer-toolkit.org.uk/ for employers that want to develop a more inclusive and accessible apprenticeship offer.

An Apprenticeships Equality and Diversity Advisory group helps government understand and address any apprenticeship equality and diversity issues in order to reduce barriers and make apprenticeships as inclusive as possible.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support Indonesia in dealing with 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. Our collaboration in these areas includes an operational capacity-building programme, established in 2005, and incorporates training delivered through the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation. A bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on police cooperation was signed during the Prime Minister, my right hon Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) visit to Jakarta in July. Additionally, we co-operate on a range of issues including foreign terrorist fighters, crisis response and legal frameworks.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that mental health services take account of the experiences and needs of women (a) in general and (b) who have experienced extensive abuse.

Alistair Burt

The focus of our mental health service transformation is supporting increased equitable access to high quality care for all people. Local health economies consider the local populations needs, including access to services, when they commission and provide services and support.

The Prime Minister recently announced a £290 million investment over the next five years to 2020/21 in perinatal mental health services. This builds on the initial investment announced in the March 2015 Budget, making a total investment from 2015/16 to 2020/21 of £365 million. The settlement is expected to enable NHS England to build capacity and capability in perinatal mental health services, with the aim of increasing access to The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-concordant care for women in all areas of England by 2020/21.

We know that vulnerable women can experience abuse and that abuse can also increase vulnerability. It can take many years, if at all, for women to disclose that they have been sexually or otherwise abused, whether as adults or children. The Department is exploring how enquiries can be routinely made of patients using a number of services such as substance misuse, adult mental health and sexual health clinics to help with early identification and support for women to get the services that they need, much earlier.

Health care professionals are in a unique position to identify abuse and to intervene early with women to direct them to the most appropriate statutory and non-statutory services for support.

Focussing health professionals on better identification and actions that will break the cycle of violence, means that health care staff can then enable those affected to access the therapeutic support they need, including counselling.