Tag: David Jones

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Jones on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress has been made on delivering the commitments made to Jordan at the Syria Donors Conference.

Mr Desmond Swayne

In Jordan, a Management Unit has been set up within the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation to which DFID has seconded staff. Existing co-ordination mechanisms, such as the Government-Donor Education group, are developing plans to deliver the Conference goals.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Jones on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of microbeads on marine ecosystems.

George Eustice

Defra has funded a project, undertaken by the University of Plymouth, to study the effects of microplastics in the marine environment. The project studied whether chemical pollutants stick to plastic particles, whether marine organisms ingest plastic particles and pass them along the food chain, and whether the plastics themselves, or associated chemical pollutants, could cause harm to those organisms. The final report for this project is expected to be published shortly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Jones on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Israeli authorities on the planned demolition of the Palestinian settlements of Susiya and Umm al-Hiran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The British Embassy in Tel Aviv raises concerns with the Israeli Government on the issue of demolitions. Demolitions of Palestinian villages not only inflict unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, but are harmful to the peace process, and in all by the most exceptional of cases, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. In regards to demolitions of Bedouin villages in green-line Israel such as Umm al-Hiran, a solution must respect the equality of all Israel’s citizens, and be consistent with Israel’s commitments under international law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Jones on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to assist humanitarian relief in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne

Yemen is now one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. The UK is the fourth largest donor having more than doubled our commitment to £85m in 2015-16. We have so far helped more than 1.3m Yemenis, providing food, medical supplies, water and emergency shelter to those most in need.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Jones on 2016-05-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has made to the organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest on their refusal to allow the display of the Red Dragon flag at the 2016 contest.

Mr Edward Vaizey

I understand that the governing body of the Eurovision Song Contest has reversed its ban on the display of the Red Dragon flag. We welcome this example of European co-operation, and wish Joe Woolford and Jake Shakeshaft the best of luck on 14 May.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Jones on 2015-10-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the (a) Iraqi and (b) Iranian authorities on the missile attack on Camp Liberty, Baghdad, on 29 October 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We strongly condemn the attack against the civilian residents of Camp Liberty in Iraq on Thursday 29 October. Officials from our Embassy in Baghdad raised the attack with the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office on 30 October and made clear the importance of an urgent and comprehensive investigation into the incident and ensuring that all those responsible are brought to justice.

In all of our engagement with the Government of Iraq on this issue, including at Ministerial level and in our statements, we have emphasised the importance of the Iraqi Government doing everything possible to ensure the safety of the residents of Camp Liberty.

It is the responsibility of the Government of Iraq to protect Camp Liberty. We have therefore not raised the attack with the Iranian authorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Jones on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Israeli authorities on the attempted murder of the Palestinian activist, Mustafa Barghouti.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Palestinian, rather than Israeli, security forces are responsible for security in Ramallah, and have opened an investigation into the attack. Our Consul-General to Jersualem spoke to Dr Barghouti following the attack to relay our concern. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), said in a press statement on 9 October, "We condemn all acts of violence, including attacks by Palestinian and by Israeli settlers. We urge all sides to take immediate steps to de-escalate the tensions and avoid actions that threaten to exacerbate the situation."

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Jones on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on establishing a regime of sanctions against nations and other entities which trade with Daesh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK has led efforts to create and enforce an international sanctions regime to cut off support, including financial, for Daesh and other terrorist groups, underpinned by UN Security Council Resolutions. UN Security Council Resolution 1267 imposes sanctions on individual and groups associated with Al-Qaida and its affiliates including Daesh. In August 2014, under the UK’s Presidency, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2170 to restrict Daesh’s financial, trade and recruitment networks, as well as sanctioning individuals. In February 2015, we co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 2199, which tightens sanctions on Daesh, and requires all states to prevent the transfer of economic resources to Daesh, including infrastructure. The UK has also worked with other member states to secure EU sanctions listings to target individuals supplying Daesh oil to the Assad regime.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Jones on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the transfer of protected persons from the West Bank to prisons inside Israel.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We regularly raise our concerns about the treatment of Palestinian prisoners with the Israeli authorities, including routine detention of Palestinians from the West Bank in prison inside Israel. We are particularly concerned about the detention of Palestinian children in Israeli prisons. We welcome recent improvements made by the Israeli authorities, including increasing the age of majority from 16 to 18 years old. However, we remain concerned at the number of Palestinian minors held in Israeli detention.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Jones on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to Christian communities in Iraq and Syria.

Mr Desmond Swayne

There have been horrific cases of attacks on Christians and other religious communities by violent extremists including Daesh. We prioritise reaching the most vulnerable people across Iraq and Syria, including Christians and others who have suffered from such violence. All UK funded humanitarian assistance is distributed on the basis of need, and need alone, to ensure civilians are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, or ethnicity. The UK continues to work with the UN and the international community to ensure all minorities’ rights are protected and our aid reaches those in greatest need.

To date, the UK has committed £79.5 million to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. In response to the Syria crisis, we have pledged over £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

As a result of UK support to Syria and the region, between February 2012 and June 2015, almost 20 million food rations were distributed, 1.6 million people were provided with clean water, 2.5 million medical consultations were provided, over 4 million relief packages were distributed and over 250,000 children were supported in formal and informal education.