Tag: Imran Hussain

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department provides to developing countries to improve their tax revenue gathering capabilities.

Mr Nick Hurd

The UK is one of the leading donors on tax and development and we have committed to double our support on tax by 2020 as part of the Addis Tax Initiative. DFID is currently engaged in, or developing, tax reform in 26 of our 28 priority countries. This includes support from the Tax Capacity Building Unit in HMRC we established in 2013 and from international organisations such as OECD, the Global Forum and the World Bank which DFID funds to provide technical assistance to tackle tax evasion and multinational tax avoidance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Supporting Syria Conference 2016, to whom and by what mechanisms the Government’s funding pledges at that conference will be made.

Mr Desmond Swayne

At the London Conference, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will more than double our total pledge to the Syria crisis from £1.12 billion to over £2.3 billion. The UK has already spent more than £1.1 billion in providing lifesaving aid in Syria and the region.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what preparations her Department has made for the UK Anti-Corruption Summit to be held in London in May 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK is determined to make the Anti-Corruption Summit in May 2016 a success. This requires concerted action by a large number of interested parties. DFID is working closely with other Government Departments and a wide range of domestic and international partners, including civil society and business, to work together to deliver a successful summit.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department has provided to projects operating in the Dadaab refugee camp since 1 January 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd

Between Jan 2010 and March 2016, the UK has contributed £56,525,096 to support refugees in in Dadaab.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase transparency in mental health service block contracts.

Nicola Blackwood

In line with the principle of parity of esteem between all health services, NHS England together with NHS Improvement are supporting providers and commissioners of adult and older people’s mental health services to move away from block contracts and implement more transparent payment approaches. Two new payment options that providers and commissioners can choose between are a capitated payment approach or an episode of treatment (year-of-care) payment approach.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to raise the security, humanitarian access, freedom of movement and citizenship rights of ethnic groups with the Burmese government.

Mr Hugo Swire

The Government consistently raises concerns about the human rights situation in Burma, including for all ethnic groups, with the Burmese government. However, these are issues that particularly affect the Muslim Rohingya community in Rakhine State, who are subject to persecution and denied the most basic rights. I and other Ministers take every appropriate opportunity, both publicly and in private, to press the Burmese authorities to take urgent steps to address the desperate situation of the Rohingya. I did this with senior Burmese ministers during my visit to Burma in July, when I travelled to Rakhine State for the second time. Most recently, I raised the issue with the Burmese Foreign Minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, in September in New York. We will continue our efforts to address the serious, ongoing human rights violations against the Rohingya community, including with whoever forms the next Government of Burma.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the skills of ESOL tutors are not lost following the withdrawal of ESOL Plus Mandation funding.

Nick Boles

The decision to withdraw the 2015/16 English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Plus (Mandation) funding was taken in the knowledge that providers could use their adult skills budget to continue to maintain their ESOL courses and therefore mitigate any adverse impact. It is the responsibility of providers to ensure they have teaching staff with the right skills and expertise to deliver the range of courses they offer.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department is having with HM Treasury on renegotiation of tax treaties between the UK and developing countries.

Mr Nick Hurd

Negotiation of UK tax treaties is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). HMRC actively engages with developing countries and has recently agreed treaties with Senegal and Zambia.

DFID works closely with both HM Treasury and HMRC to develop the Government’s tax and development policy and to improve the capacity of developing country tax administrations. DFID was at the forefront internationally of developing the Addis Tax Initiative, launched last year, which sees signatory donors commit to double their support on tax and signatory partner countries to commit to implement tax reform. It also calls for policy coherence on tax and development. There are currently over 30 signatories.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department has provided to tackle dengue fever.

Mr Nick Hurd

The most effective way for DFID to have a sustainable impact on dengue fever and other vector-borne diseases is through our support to vector control, which is very important to protect populations from dengue and other vector borne diseases. Our partners include the Innovative Vector Control Consortium based at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, which is a product development partnership that brings together partners from the public and private sectors to develop new insecticides that can be used to control insects that spread this disease.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many meetings she had with the Adam Smith Institute between 1 October 2012 and 31 March 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne

Meetings with DFID Ministers are published on a regular basis at: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/dfid-sos-gifts-travel-hospitality-meetings-may-july-2010

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