Tag: Diane Abbott

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 22275, what assessment his Department made of the risk that items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law as defined in the Export Control Act 2002 and the EU Common position when making the decision to grant licences for the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application including International Humanitarian Law. The Government is satisfied that extant licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK’s export licensing criteria.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of how the EU Refugee Facility for Turkey will reduce migration from Turkey.

James Brokenshire

The UK supports the Turkey-EU Action Plan of which the EU Refugee Facility is part of, which was signed on 29 November between the EU and Turkey. Implementation will not be straightforward given the volume of numbers and the determination of individuals to cross land and sea borders. The facility will positively impact on the numbers of refugees leaving Turkey. The Refugee facility will provide immediate humanitarian support and access to schools, hospitals, housing and employment required over the longer term to support refugees and the communities which host them. The Action Plan is just one aspect of efforts to respond to the migration crisis seen in the Mediterranean last year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of allowing for more security-related expenditure within the definition of Official Development Assistance on maintaining a distinction between development cooperation and policing missions for security.

Justine Greening

The updates to the ODA rules agreed at the 2016 High Level Meeting (18-19 February 2016) mean that ODA can be used to support the military in fragile countries on issues that promote development, such as human rights and the prevention of sexual violence; this means the international community is better equipped to meet Global Goal 16, which calls for the stronger governance in developing countries to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the recommendations of the report of the Public Accounts Committee, Department for International Development: responding to crises, published on 20 April 2016, what steps she is taking to ensure that her Department improves its system of accounting for ODA spend on humanitarian emergencies.

Justine Greening

The Government will respond to the Committee’s recommendations in the usual way in a Treasury Minute which will be laid before Parliament.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to assist people in the Indonesian province of Province of Davao del Norte affected by the drought in that province.

Justine Greening

There is no province called Davao del Norte in Indonesia.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants with (a) Parkinson’s disease, (b) rheumatoid arthritis, (c) motor neurone disease, (d) multiple sclerosis and (e) cystic fibrosis have been (i) placed in support groups, (ii) placed in the work-related activity group and (iii) found fit for work since 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel

The information requested is shown in the table below.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations her Department has (a) made to and (b) received from Saferworld, Unicef, Save the Children and Oxfam on UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia in the last 12 months.

Justine Greening

DFID Yemen has longstanding and close working relationships with each of these four organisations, all of whom receive UK funding. Our dialogue covers all areas of relevant DFID policy, in particular our four priorities: supporting UN efforts to start political talks and return to an inclusive political process; increasing commercial imports of food, fuel and medical supplies; improving humanitarian access into and within Yemen; and strengthening the international community’s response to the crisis.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations she has received on alleged breaches of international environmental law by UK firm Vedanta Resources in Zambia.

Justine Greening

Vedenta Resources has no formal relationship with our DFID Zambia office.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which projects her Department plans to close following its decision to suspend financial aid payments to the government of Mozambique.

Justine Greening

Following confirmation of undisclosed state-guaranteed loans, the UK immediately suspended all direct aid to the Government of Mozambique. This has since been followed by other donors. The UK is working with international partners to assess the implications for programming. The UK’s priority is to continue to support the people of Mozambique to exit poverty and build a more prosperous and secure country.