The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on the establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations against Rohingya people in Burma.
Mr Hugo Swire
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 12 November 2015 (PQ14884), which can be located at: http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-03-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to reinstate the bilateral aid programme with Burundi.
Mr Nick Hurd
There are no plans for DFID to re-open the office in Burundi. DFID’s bilateral programme in Burundi closed in 2012 following the 2010 Bilateral Aid Review. We have provided support to Burundi through Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA), an independent agency promoting trade and regional economic integration, given that this is central to Burundi’s growth and prosperity. DFID has provided £10 million for TMEA work in Burundi since 2012.
DFID will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with counterparts across Whitehall, the international financial institutions (IFIs) and humanitarian partners in Burundi. DFID is working with the IFIs to identify options to support the provision of basic services, where there is none. DFID has prepared a response plan in the event of significant unmet humanitarian needs emerging.
DFID has also provided technical support, in the form of secondment of experts, to support UN agencies working in Burundi. This includes support to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) to strengthen humanitarian coordination in Burundi.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her Department has made of the amount of profits moved out of developing countries by UK-listed companies in each of the last five years.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The Department for International Development does not collect this data.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what training and learning activities her Department undertakes to improve evidence collection for the design and implementation of violence against women and girls programmes.
Mr Nick Hurd
DFID’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Helpdesk central programme has developed a series of guidance notes on how to mainstream the prevention of violence against women and girls into sectoral programmes, including health, education and economic development. Building on this DFID is developing and offering resources to strengthen the capability of specialists in these disciplines in addressing VAWG, including investing up to £25 million over five years (2013-2018) in a pioneering violence against women and girls research and innovation programme called ‘What Works to Prevent Violence’.
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 improve the process for GPs referring patients to mental health services.
Nicola Blackwood
NHS England is aware that some general practitioners (GPs) experience difficulties with access to secondary mental health services. In line with the recommendations of the Mental Health Taskforce, NHS England mental health team is working to introduce a suite of evidence based treatment pathways spanning the main mental health conditions and covering the journey from referral to treatment and through to recovery. These will help to ensure that GPs have the information they need to refer people swiftly to the right services, offering the right treatment for their particular mental health needs. Pathways and associated standards have already been introduced for common mental health disorders Psychological Therapies services, first episode psychosis and community-based eating disorder services for children and young people.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to promote cooperation on the resettlement of Syrian refugees between local authorities with experience of resettlement programmes and local authorities without such experience.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Local authorities are already working together to provide support, ensure best value in the services they provide and to deliver efficiencies.
The Government will continue to provide local authorities with support and guidance including sharing resettlement best practice and case studies, detailed information on the cohort from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and advice about the cultural, ethnic and religious groupings from Syria.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support development programmes in Yemen.
Mr Desmond Swayne
Given the current humanitarian crisis in the country, the principal focus of the UK’s support to Yemen is on meeting immediate humanitarian needs and delivering basic services. The UK is one of the largest donors to the humanitarian crisis and has announced £75 million commitment so far. UK aid is providing vital medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter, as well as supporting the UN work to co-ordinate the international humanitarian response. Our support is delivered through UN agencies and international NGOs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on encouraging UK businesses with overseas supply chains to abide by fair practice and pay a fair wage.
Mr Desmond Swayne
All suppliers working with DFID sign up to our ‘Statement of Priorities and Expectations’. This confirms that suppliers agree to align with DFID’s standards and priorities including Corporate Social Responsibility, accountability and transparency and treatment of subcontractors.
Recently DFID wrote to all suppliers emphasising the importance of how they engage their supply chain and to demonstrate fair treatment of subcontractors throughout contract delivery. We have also strengthened our terms and conditions relating to treatment of subcontractors including requirement to pay promptly
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is providing to areas affected by the recent earthquake in Afghanistan.
Mr Desmond Swayne
We are in close contact with our governmental and non-governmental partners in Afghanistan and Pakistan who are assessing and responding to the situation on the ground. Whilst we have not received any official requests for assistance at this stage, we do have multi-year humanitarian programmes in both countries which could be drawn upon if needed.
In Afghanistan, DFID is providing up to £80 million of humanitarian support over 2015-2019, including through the UN-led Common Humanitarian Fund and the International Committee of the Red Cross. In Pakistan, our multi-year humanitarian programme could provide up to £100 million over 2014-2018 for immediate relief and early recovery, depending on the extent of emergencies which occur. In both countries we are also supporting work by local organisations to build resilience to natural disasters and increase preparedness for recurring events.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what non-financial aid her Department has provided to the African Union in the last five years.
Grant Shapps
In the last five years DFID’s non-financial support to the African Union has included the following projects at the cost of some £7m: two independent audits of international funding for the AU’s “Shared Values” Joint Programme Arrangement; technical advice to the AU Commission on developing a results based Logical Framework approach; support for the AUC Leadership Assessment Centre; technical advice on setting up the AU Institute for Statistics; technical support for AU work on Regional Trade Facilitation; capacity support to the AU Department of Political Affairs; and technical support for AU election observation missions which has received the bulk of DFID funding.