Tag: Catherine West

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure children receive education and protection in conflict zones.

Mr Nick Hurd

DFID supports international efforts in conflict-affected and fragile countries to assist children and reduce their risks of violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. This work is in partnership with mandated protection agencies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and UNICEF, as well as non-governmental organisations.

DFID aims to improve learning outcomes, to reach all children in fragile states, and to keep girls in school. DFID supports children overseas to go to school and continue learning even when they are forced from their homes and this includes our flagship £355 million Girls’ Education Challenge that will enable up to 1 million more of the world’s most marginalised girls to benefit from an education of sufficient quality and transform their lives. In addition, DFID is supporting improvements to how the international community provides education in emergencies, including support for the ‘No Lost Generation’ Initiative to provide over 251,000 Syrian children with formal and informal education inside Syria and in the region, allowing them to catch up on lost learning time and sit public school examinations.

Education and protection will be key themes of the Syria Conference co-hosted by the UK in early February and the protection and education of children affected by natural disasters and conflicts will be addressed at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of high inflation in Malawi.

Mr Nick Hurd

Malawi has one of the highest rates of inflation in Africa: double digit inflation is commonplace. High inflation, alongside high fiscal deficits, debt and interest rates, are lowering business confidence and crowding out private investment. Social services are being delivered from a constrained budget with high levels of government borrowing. Poor harvests in 2015 and poor rainfall due to the ongoing El Nino are affecting the national economy and Malawi is now facing its worst food insecurity crisis in a decade. The UK and international partners are responding.

DFID Malawi works closely with other development partners, in particular the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to monitor the macroeconomic situation in Malawi. The IMF’s Article IV Consultation in December 2015 concluded that “an appropriately tight fiscal policy is needed to support monetary policy actions aimed at placing inflation on a downward trajectory.” DFID is working with the World Bank to inform the Government of Malawi’s next Development Strategy.

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 representations he had made to his counterparts in (a) the US, (b) China, (c) France and (d) Russia on the recent ballistic missile launched by North Korea.

Mr Hugo Swire

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) strongly condemned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s satellite launch of 7 February, which used ballistic missile technology in clear violation of a number of UN Security Council Resolutions. We are working closely with our international counterparts, including permanent members of the UN Security Council, to ensure significant and substantive measures are agreed in response to the DPRK’s repeated provocations. In addition, we continue to work with international partners to ensure existing Resolutions are implemented effectively.

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

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

Nick Gibb

The hourly rate of pay for cleaners working in buildings managed by the Department for Education is between £7.85 and £9.15 depending on location and duration of tenure.

The Government Equality Office is based within buildings managed by the Department for Education, and therefore the same rates apply.

From 1 April 2016, the rate of pay will be increased to the 2016 Living Wage Foundation rates.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his North Korean counterpart on the reported recent execution of Ri Yong-gil in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire

We are aware of reports of the execution of General Ri Yong-gil, the Chief of Staff of the Korean People’s Army, on Wednesday 10 February 2016. Due to the closed nature of the regime in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), we cannot verify the accuracy of these reports. The UK, working with the EU and Japan, has ensured that annual UN resolutions consistently call on the DPRK to end its use of the death penalty and adhere to international standards on judicial procedures. We also use our diplomatic relations to raise our concerns directly with North Korea officials in London and Pyongyang.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Germany since the detonation of a car bomb in Berlin on 15 March 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington

The German authorities continue to investigate the apparent bomb attack on a car in Berlin on 15 March. The investigating authorities have stated that their investigation so far suggests that organised crime, rather than terrorism, was the background to the incident.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients with chronic acute urinary tract infections can access appropriate treatment on the NHS.

Jane Ellison

The Department does not determine which treatments should be available for what ailments. National Health Service commissioners are responsible for making decisions on individual treatments on the basis of the available evidence, taking into account guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) where available.

NICE guidance is always evidence based, assuring us of the latest clinical thinking and research to determine the best treatment for patients.

The guidelines from NICE for urinary tract infections can be found here:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg171/chapter/1-recommendations

NHS England published new guidance on 16 November 2015 to help improve the care and experience of people with continence issues. This includes the most up to date evidence to support commissioners and providers. The guidance can be found on NHS England’s website and accessed via the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2015/11/16/continence-care/

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Attorney General, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the UK’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Jeremy Wright

I meet regularly with Ministerial colleagues, including the Home Secretary, to discuss important issues of common interest, including domestic and international human rights law. I am not able to provide information about any legal content of those discussions because, by longstanding convention, the fact that the Law Officers have advised, or have not advised, and the content of their advice is not disclosed outside government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-05-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in a high-risk group for contracting HIV.

Jane Ellison

The PROUD trial was launched in 2012, coordinated by the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit and Public Health England (PHE). The number of people enrolled in the trial, was 544.

Based on evidence from the PROUD study, PHE has made an assessment that of the 100,000 men who have sex with men who attend genito-urinary medicine clinics annually, 8,000 can be identified as being at ‘high-risk’.

The Department has not yet made its own assessment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-07-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary academies and free schools teach sex and relationships education.

Edward Timpson

The Department does not hold this information.

Sex and relationship education (SRE) is compulsory in maintained secondary schools. Academies and free schools do not have to teach SRE but many choose to do so as part of their duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. When academies do teach SRE they are required through their funding agreement to have regard to the Secretary of State’s Sex and Relationship Education Guidance[1].

[1] http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/statutory/g00214676/sex-and-relationships-education-guidance

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