Tag: Gregory Campbell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-03-02.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress he is making on his plans to begin to reduce public sector net debt as a share of gross domestic product in 2016-17.

Harriett Baldwin

The latest Office for Budget Responsibility forecast published in November 2015 shows that the government is on track to reduce public sector net debt as a share of GDP in 2016-17. The government remains committed to continuing the job of returning the public finances to a more sustainable position. In a low inflationary environment, taking account for economic shocks, the most reliable way to bring debt down as a share of GDP is to run a surplus and maintain it in normal times.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-05-04.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people accessed personal pensions between (a) April 2015 and April 2016 and (b) April 2014 and April 2015.

Mr David Gauke

The Government does not have information on all payments from personal pensions taken since April 2014.

Information on the taxable element of pension flexibility lump sums taken since April 2015 is collated and published quarterly by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). However, this includes other types of private pensions such as occupational pensions, not just personal pensions. This also provides details of the number of people who have taken these payments. The publication can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/flexible-payments-from-pensions.

Equivalent information for the period April 2014 to April 2015 is not held, as HMRC only began to collect this information after the introduction of pensions freedom and choice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Prime Minister, if he will visit Northern Ireland before 23 June 2016.

Mr David Cameron

I visit all parts of the United Kingdom regularly, including Northern Ireland. I last visited Northern Ireland on 27 February.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of offering Public Service Obligation Route status to the Londonderry to Stansted Airport service.

Mr John Hayes

The UK government has agreed in principle to support the air route between City of Derry Airport and London though a Public Service Obligation. It is now for Derry City & Strabane District Council take forward the tender process to identify an airline to operate the route.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with the Sudanese government reports of attacks on Christians and proposals by the Sudanese government to demolish church property in the Bahri region of Khartoum.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Freedom of religion or belief in Sudan, including allegations of the destruction of churches, continues to be an area of concern for the UK. Officials from our Embassy in Khartoum consistently raise it with the Government of Sudan as part of our ongoing human rights dialogue, most recently during the visit of a senior Sudanese delegation to London on 10 October. More widely, we continue to call on the Government of Sudan to ensure all legislation is consistent with the commitment to their citizens in the Interim Constitution of 2005 within which religious freedom is enshrined.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what changes she has instituted to the Government’s overseas aid programme to tackle the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015.

Mr Desmond Swayne

To date, the UK has pledged over £1.1 billion in response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the region. This includes scaling up our support for longer term stability and resilience-building work inside Syria and in neighbouring countries, alongside our humanitarian aid to meet immediate needs.

On 23 September the Prime Minister announced that the UK will provide £14.5 million aid to countries that refugees and migrants are leaving and transiting through. The UK has offered in-kind assistance to Serbia and Slovenia, through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (CPM).

Through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme, the UK is helping some of the most vulnerable refugees who cannot be supported effectively in the region and whose needs can only be met in countries like the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times explosive ordinance officers were deployed to deal with incidents in Northern Ireland between 1 January 2015 and 1 July 2015.

Penny Mordaunt

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my predecessor, the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mark Francois) on 27 February 2015 to Question 225158. The Report of the Independent Reviewer of the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007 which contains the requested information is published annually. The next report will be published in January 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance the Government is providing to countries in West Africa to reduce the chances of Ebola returning to areas from which it has been eradicated.

Mr Nick Hurd

We are working closely with the Government of Sierra Leone, the World Health Organisation and other partners to reduce the risk of future outbreaks and prevent them from growing into epidemics.

The UK has announced a two-year £240 million package of support to Sierra Leone’s long term recovery, which includes boosting capability to respond to future Ebola outbreaks and other emergencies. A key part of this joint strategy with the Government of Sierra Leone is the strengthening of health systems. Another component will boost capacity at district levels, empower youth and communities and support women and girls.. DFID will also support Liberia’s Health Pooled fund with £6 million to help ensure that its health system is resilient to future shocks.

Beyond Sierra Leone and Liberia, DFID’s Regional Preparedness Programme prevents the transmission and spread of Ebola in at-risk countries in West Africa, focusing on prevention of a fourth country outbreakand strengthening national capacities to contain disease outbreaks.

At the global level, the UK is supporting urgent reform of the World Health Organisation to ensure that it will respond effectively to future health emergencies and is also supporting their new Contingency Fund for Emergencies. At the Spending Review the Government announced the new Ross Fund to support the global fight against infectious diseases including Malaria and Ebola, which will be jointly administered with the Department of Health.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Laos on the treatment of the Christian minority in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire

We raise human rights concerns on a regular basis with the Lao government both bilaterally and through multilateral fora. As part of Laos’ Universal Periodic Review process starting in January 2015, and the EU-Laos Human Rights Dialogue in November 2015, we raised concerns regarding restrictions on the right to freedom of religion or belief. We will continue to look for opportunities to work with the Lao government to implement its human rights obligations and commitments, including those regarding respect for the rights of religious minorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has any plans to change the social fund funeral payment in the next 12 months.

Justin Tomlinson

The Government continually looks to improve its service. For example, in 2015 informal discussions have already taken place with stakeholders, including the National Association of Funeral Directors, representatives from life assurance companies, academics and advice services on possible improvements. These discussions carry on and there is a current focus on how to improve information on eligibility.