Tag: Catherine West

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 to continue to participate in the European GNSS Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson

As we leave the EU, our country is embarking on an important negotiation. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has already said, we are not going to provide a running commentary on every twist and turn of the negotiation.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to address the humanitarian situation in (a) Haiti, (b) Jamaica, (c) Cuba and (d) the Bahamas caused by hurricane Matthew.

Rory Stewart

The UK is committing up to £5 million of initial support to trusted UN, Red Cross and NGO partners to help thousands of people in Haiti affected by Hurricane Matthew. DFID prepositioned aid in Haiti to better prepare the country for natural disasters, and has a team in Haiti working with international partners and the Government of Haiti to address the humanitarian situation.

In Jamaica, no significant humanitarian need has been identified. In respect of Cuba, the Department is working closely with the International Federation of the Red Cross to ascertain their understanding of needs and potential response plans.

The Ministry of Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Office deployed the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary Vessel Wave Knight to the Bahamas to provide aerial reconnaissance and support in the immediate aftermath of Matthew’s impact. The Department for International Development is working with the British Red Cross to deepen our understanding of the humanitarian situation in the Bahamas.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Argentina, (b) Indonesia, (c) Saudi Arabia and (d) Turkey on negotiating trade deals with the UK.

Greg Hands

Ministers and officials in the Department for International Trade are making and planning overseas visits to a wide range of markets, in order to promote the UK as a great place to do business and with which to trade. Through these discussions, we are working to ensure we take advantage of all the opportunities available to us, including through our future trading relationships. Alongside this activity, we are holding regular bilateral Ministerial dialogues on economics and trade, namely Joint Economic and Trade Committees (JETCOs), including with Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what overseas visits she has made since her appointment.

Priti Patel

The Secretary of State has visited a range of countries overseas since her appointment. Information on Ministerial Travel is published as part of DFID’s quarterly transparency return on www.gov.uk.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will take steps to implement recommendations from the UN report, entitled Ways to promote education and training in disarmament and non-proliferation at all levels of formal and informal education; if he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Education to designate a focal point for disarmament and non-proliferation education; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan

Officials have been asked to review the report and its recommendations, consulting with officials in the Department for Education.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether apprentices are required to achieve a Level 1 qualification, including mathematics and English, in order (a) to be entered for an Intermediate Level Apprenticeship and (b) for entries to be in accordance with the Specification of Apprenticeships Standards for England.

Nick Boles

In order to maximise accessibility, there are no centrally set entry requirements to start an apprenticeship. However, as apprenticeships are jobs with training, individual employers may set their own entry requirements for a specific apprenticeship.

The government does set requirements relating to training and achievement in English and maths during apprenticeships. This is because English and maths are fundamental to career progression and access to further learning.

All apprenticeship frameworks must comply with the Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE). Under SASE, English and maths qualifications are a mandatory component of all Intermediate and Advanced apprenticeships. However, all adult apprentices are assessed for prior learning, and people who start an apprenticeship with current English and maths qualifications at the right level need not repeat these.

We are reforming apprenticeships to ensure that they are based on standards designed by employers.The government sets minimum requirements for apprenticeship standards, though employers are able to go further in the standards they design. They are able to specify a higher level of English and/or maths achievement or to specify a particular qualification or qualifications where this is needed for a particular occupation or sector. . The minimum requirements are – passing level 1 English and maths and taking the test for level 2 before taking the end-point assessment for an intermediate apprenticeship; and passing level 2 English and maths before taking the end-point assessment for an advanced or higher apprenticeship.

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 information his Department holds on potential links between the terrorist attacks in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Diyarbakir, Turkey, in January 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

This Department holds no information on potential links between the terrorist attack in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Diyabakir, Turkey, in January 2016.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether any person or body has sought disclosure of documents relevant to the decision to target Reyaad Khan by drone strike in Syria on 21 August 2015 for purposes related to the inquiry by the Intelligence and Security Committee into that matter.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) gave to the hon. Member for Blaydon (Mr. Anderson) on Monday 25 January 2016, UIN23433.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of freedom of information requirements in Bermuda; and what plans he has to promote transparency in that territory.

James Duddridge

Freedom of information policy in Bermuda is the responsibility of the Government of Bermuda. The Public Access to Information Act 2010 (PATI) came fully into operation on 1 April 2014. It is similar in many respects to the UK’s Freedom of Information Act and provides for an Information Commissioner. The Governor believes that it has started well but the first appeals under the Act’s provisions are only now coming before the Commissioner.

Future developments in this area are a matter for the Government of Bermuda. I understand that legislation on data protection, the Personal Information Protection Act, is currently before the Bermuda House of Assembly, with provisions designed to meet EU data protection requirements and, again, similar to the UK Data Protection Act. The 2012 White Paper states our commitments on working with the governments of the Overseas Territories on improving transparency and accountability. We are supporting these governments in moving towards systems of open government through sharing best practice and capacity building. This is a devolved area of competence and it is for Territory governments to develop a system that meets their particular requirements and circumstances.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.

Mark Lancaster

Cleaning within the Ministry of Defence is undertaken through estate maintenance contracts and therefore information on the rates of pay for cleaners is held by a number of third parties and not by the Department.