The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) Palestinians and (b) Jews displaced from their country of origin in the Middle East since 1984.
Hugh Robertson
We have not made an estimate on this issue and do not keep records of this type.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the criteria is by which his Department determined the successful bidders for management of the administration of the personal independence payments contracts.
Mike Penning
The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Providers were selected following a fair and open competition.
Tenders were assessed against a detailed set of criteria which covered key aspects of PIP service delivery. A wide range of areas were assessed but particular weighting was given to bidders’ management of the claimant journey, staff recruitment, delivering assessments by Health Professionals, performance management, estates and overall implementation.
Providers were selected on the basis of the most economic advantageous tender which overall assessed a combination of qualitative, risk and financial factors to determine the preferred supplier for each contract to be awarded.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2014, Official Report, columns 161-2W, on Syria, on what basis the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom was selected as the recipient of £200,000.
Hugh Robertson
The FCO’s Human Rights Development Programme Board approved funding to the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) based on the strength of their project proposal. WILPF have been active in promoting the participation of Syrian women at the Geneva II peace conference, have developed a strong network of Syrian women activists, and work in close collaboration with other international non-governmental organisations. Their activities support our wider efforts to ensure that Syrian women are fully included in the political process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the safety of the Armenian community in Kessab.
Hugh Robertson
We remain deeply concerned about the safety of Armenians and members of all other minority groups in Syria. We believe that the majority of Kessab’s inhabitants, including most of the ethnic Armenian population, left the town because of fighting in the area. Our understanding is that they have mainly joined other Armenian communities in Syria and neighbouring countries. They join the more than 9 million Syrians of all faiths and ethnicities who have been driven from their homes by the ongoing conflict.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK Government Ministers have visited Lesotho since 2010.
Mark Simmonds
I visited Lesotho in March 2013 as part of a larger tour of the Southern African region. My visit to Lesotho was the first bilateral Ministerial visit to the Kingdom since 2002. I was delighted that the Prime Minister of Lesotho was able to visit the UK between 4-9 April, further strengthening bilateral relations and the ongoing links between our two countries. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire) and I both enjoyed meeting the Prime Minister of Lesotho during his visit to the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the composition of the different groups which comprise the combatants in Kessab.
Hugh Robertson
We understand that a wide range of groups have been involved in the fighting, including Ansar al-Sham, and Sham al-Islam, as well as the al Qaeda linked al-Nusra Front.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria are used to decide in which countries to have UK consular and visa offices.
James Brokenshire
Decisions regarding the location of our visa application centres, and the
places in which the applications are decided, are based on a number of
different factors, including geography, security issues, distribution of
demand, political and economic impacts, as well as the financial cost. The
Home Office uses commercial partners to help run its network of visa
application centres, which are the customer-facing end of the service. Under
new contracts which came into effect on 1 April, we will have 340 visa
application points in 142 countries around the world. Applications submitted at visa
application centres are then sent to one of our 32 decision-making hubs for
consideration.
On the Consular side, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) supports
British nationals through the Diplomatic network of 220 Posts around the world, in 170
countries. They also have a network of 230 Honorary Consuls who provide
support in places where the UK is not otherwise represented. Having consular
partners present in countries where the UK is not represented ensures British
nationals have immediate access to assistance. There are only three countries
in the world where there is no in country consular representation by the UK or
any of our main consular partners (EU, Australia, Canada, US or New Zealand).
These are Palau, Sao Tome & Principe and Tuvalu. In these cases, UK Travel
Advice instructs British nationals to seek assistance when needed through the
nearest country with British diplomatic representation: Philippines, Angola and
Fiji respectively. The FCO currently advise against all travel to Syria and
warn British nationals who travel there that the FCO will not be able to
provide them with any assistance. The FCO also advise against all but
essential travel to Iran and advise British nationals to seek assistance from
any EU Member State present in the country.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on which actors are currently involved in, or have helped to facilitate, recent violence in Kessab.
Hugh Robertson
We understand that a wide range of groups have been involved in the fighting, including Ansar al-Sham, and Sham al-Islam, as well as the al Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what projects her Department has in Lesotho.
Lynne Featherstone
Lesotho does not receive any direct development funding from the UK, but does benefit through DFID’s Southern Africa Regional programmes. UK support to Lesotho is mainly delivered through Civil Society Organisations such as Gender Links, Commonwealth Business Council and Common Ground Initiative, a joint fund with Comic Relief.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-03-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to introduce statutory time limits on claims for personal independence payments.
Mike Penning
In line with other benefits, there are no statutory time limits on processing times to claims for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and we have no plans to change that position.
We are taking the necessary action to improve the processing times, including working with the providers.