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Tag: Ian Lucas

  • Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the current whereabouts of the children recently kidnapped from Chibok, Nigeria.

    Mark Simmonds

    Since the abduction of the Nigerian school girls on 14 April we have remained in close contact with the Nigerian authorities about the case. Although the whereabouts of the girls remains unclear, reports in the media and from girls who escaped suggest they are being held in the Sambisa Forest area of Borno State. Media reports also suggest the girls may have been taken into Cameroon and Chad. We continue to try and establish the facts in this case.

  • Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Executive on the closure of the Independent Living Fund.

    Mike Penning

    The devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland have been informed of the decision to close the Independent Living Fund on 30 June 2015. I will be writing to Ministers with further details shortly.

  • Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Syrian National Coalition.

    Hugh Robertson

    We have daily discussions with the Syrian National Coalition, most notably with its leadership through the UK Special Representative to Syria, Jon Wilks, but also at Ministerial level. We are in regular touch with the National Coalition representative in London. We have supported the National Coalition since its foundation in 2012 and have consistently encouraged it to reach out to all Syrians as a democratic, inclusive and unified organisation. This has included practical support to the National Coalition, including on strategic communications and design of internal structures and organisation. The UK is a leading member of the “London 11”, the core group of the Friends of Syria, who are the National Coalition’s strongest supporters. Most recently we hosted a meeting of senior officials from the London 11 in London on 7 March.

  • Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what requests for assistance the Government has received in connection with the recent kidnappings from Chibok, Nigeria.

    Mark Simmonds

    Since the abduction of the Nigerian school girls on 14 April, our High Commission in Abuja has remained in close contact with the Nigerian authorities. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) offered our assistance when he spoke to the Nigerian Foreign Minister on 18 April. So far we have not received a formal request for assistance from the Nigerian Government.

  • Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on the payment of benefits into post office card accounts.

    Steve Webb

    The Department pays benefits and pensions by Direct Payment into a bank, building society, credit union or Post Office card account.

    The Post Office card account is a very simple account with limited functionality. Our policy has always been clear that the best option, especially for people of working age, is an account that can accept payments from employers and has transactional facilities such as direct debits for the payment of bills and housing costs.

    The Department is currently in discussions with Post Office Ltd and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills to consider the future needs of customers beyond 2015.

  • Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of how representative the Syrian National Council is of all Syrian opposition groups.

    Hugh Robertson

    The Syrian National Council is one part of the National Coalition. I have called for women, in particular, to be represented more in the National Coalition. I am pleased that the National Coalition has made strenuous efforts to broaden its membership to attract all sections of Syrian society, including ethnic and religious minorities and women, stating that it is a Coalition for all Syrians. The most recent organisation to join its ranks is the Kurdish National Council. We continue to work with the National Coalition in their efforts to deliver more services on the ground through the Interim Government.

  • Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that UNMISS protects civilians by (a) regular patrols and consultation with communities and (b) involvement of civilians experts in UNMISS programmes.

    Mark Simmonds

    As a permanent member of the Security Council, the UK is a leading advocate of ensuring that protection of civilians from violence is prioritised in the mandates of UN Missions working in conflict-affected countries. UN Security Council Resolution 2155 of 27 May 2014, which renewed UNMISS’s mandate (and which the UK fully supported) demonstrates that, including through requiring UNMISS troops to conduct regular patrols to safeguard the security of communities within high risk areas. It also provides for civilian expertise to support and complement the work of the military troops and formed police units in monitoring and investigating human rights abuses

  • Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-03-07.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are employed in the (a) commerce and (b) manufacturing sectors in (i) Wrexham constituency, (ii) Wales and (iii) the UK.

    Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the gender balance is of his Department’s management board and its sub-committees.

    Hugh Robertson

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Management Board consists of 8 executive (5 male and 3 female) and 2 non-executive members (1 male and 1 female).

    The Management Board is supported by the four Sub-Committees which are each chaired by a member of the Board; they are Audit & Risk Committee, Human Resources (HR) Committee, Operations Committee and Health and Safety Committee.

    The gender breakdown of the committees is as follows:

    Audit & Risk Committee (ARC): 2 male, 1 female;

    HR Committee: 9 male, 10 female; and the 20th position is currently filled by two people (1 male, 1 female) in a job-share;

    Operations Committee: 9 male and 8 female; and

    FCO Health and Safety Committee: 18 male and 8 female members.

  • Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the government of Sudan facilitates the full deployment of UNMISS troops and equipment.

    Mark Simmonds

    The Governments of both Sudan and South Sudan have now granted the necessary clearances for the transfer of a Rwandan battalion from the UN-Africa Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to UNMISS. We understand that that battalion has now arrived in South Sudan.

    We have made clear to the Governments of both Sudan and South Sudan that any actions that impede UNMISS in the delivery of its mandate are unacceptable.