Tag: Imran Hussain

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his (a) foreign counterparts and (b) cabinet colleagues on recent reports of border clashes between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

James Duddridge

We are concerned over recent reports of fighting between Ethiopian and Eritrean forces along the border near Tsorena. I made a statement on 16 June calling on both countries to exercise restraint and to adhere to the terms of the Algiers Agreement. We have also made clear to Ethiopia and Eritrea that they should engage in meaningful political discourse to seek a resolution to the ongoing border issues. Officials have discussed the clashes with our partners in Europe and at the UN, many of whom share our concerns and have made similar calls for restraint.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total budget is for dental care in England in each of the next five years; and how much of that budget is allocated to dental care education in (a) schools and (b) the community.

David Mowat

NHS England has a legal duty to commission primary care dental services to meet local need and therefore does not have a specified dental budget. Local teams commission dentistry based on the local oral health needs assessment undertaken in partnership with local authorities, which identifies the level of dental need for a particular community.

Health Education England is responsible for funding dental education. Information on funding for dental education is only available for 2016/17 and can be found in the table below.

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 assessment he has made of the effectiveness of steps taken by (a) his Department and (b) the Burmese government to stop the use of child soldiers in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire

We welcomed the commitment the Burmese government made to ending the recruitment of child soldiers in signing the UN’s Action Plan in 2012. Since then Burma has made some progress, including the release of over 600 child soldiers and, in September, signing the Optional Protocol to the Convention on Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. However, we are clear that more still needs to be done. Access to military units and non-state armed groups continues to be restricted, release of child soldiers has been limited, and while recruitment of children has slowed, it has not ceased entirely. We are also aware of reports that children continue to be arrested for “desertion”. I raised this issue with Minister of the President’s Office, U Aung Min, when I visited Burma in July and we will continue to do so with the Burmese authorities, including to press for swift implementation of the Optional Protocol.

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 assistance his Department is providing to help businesses to employ migrants with in-demand skills but poor English language skills.

Nick Boles

In our approach to skills, we aim to create a fair balance between the investment made by Government, the employer and the individual. We believe that non-native speakers of English, who choose to live in the UK, should be expected to invest in the improvement of their English, with some exceptions. Similarly, where employers seek to rely on non-English speaking labour, it is their responsibility to cover the cost of training employees.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to renegotiate tax treaties with developing countries.

Mr David Gauke

Tax treaties are negotiated by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officials, reporting to Treasury Ministers.

The UK has a large number of tax treaties which includes treaties with developing countries. Some of those treaties require updating and HMRC officials actively seek engagement with developing countries to that end. For example, there are ongoing negotiations with Ghana, prospective negotiations with Nepal and negotiations with Lesotho and Malawi are close to conclusion.

HMRC publishes the programme of tax treaty negotiations and news of signed treaties at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/double-taxation-agreements-developments-and-planned-negotiations.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of dengue fever on the development of developing countries.

Mr Nick Hurd

Dengue is estimated to place a heavy socio-economic burden on households, health care systems and governments, particularly during outbreaks; however, country-specific reliable estimates of burden of disease and cost data are limited.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will take steps to ensure that the global risk platform to be debated at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016 meets the needs of people affected by natural and social disasters.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK is part of the discussions on the Global Risk Register and is helping to ensure they review how the national and international systems address the needs of affected populations quickly and effectively.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of an escalation of border clashes between Eritrea and Ethiopia on refugees in that region.

Mr Nick Hurd

We are concerned over recent reports of fighting between Ethiopian and Eritrean forces along the border near Tsorena. My colleague the Minister for Africa, Mr Duddridge, has called on both countries to exercise restraint and said that they should engage in meaningful political discourse to seek a resolution to the ongoing border issues.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has confirmed to DFID that the recent border clashes between Eritrea and Ethiopia have had no discernible impact on refugees in the border region. Services for refugees in the camps in Tigray region (which borders Eritrea) have not been disrupted by the clashes.

Refugees have continued to cross from Eritrea to Ethiopia at a rate of around 2,000-3,000 per month in 2016 and there has been no change to this pattern.

According to its global policy, UNHCR sites refugee camps ‘at a reasonable distance’ from international borders. The closest refugee camp to the Eritrean border is around 25 km away. Others are further away from the border.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Dental Contract Reform: Prototypes pilot in (a) improving the quality of dental care and (b) improving access to dental care.

David Mowat

The Government is committed to replacing the current National Health Service dental contract with one that better rewards dentists for improving the oral health of their patients in addition to providing treatment where needed.

The dental pilots which ran from 2011-16 tested a new way of delivering care focussed on prevention. Based on the learning from that scheme, 79 high street practices are continuing to test the prevention based clinical pathway with the addition of testing a possible new remuneration system.

The prototype scheme evaluation is expected during 2017-18. The evaluation will be overseen by an evidence and learning group, which includes clinical and stakeholder representation. If successful the new system could start to be rolled out nationally from 2018-19.

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 assessment he has made of the freedom of elections in Burma in November 2015 and the fairness of the outcome of that election as reflected in the distribution of seats in that country’s parliament.

Mr Hugo Swire

It is for the people of Burma, and their political representatives, to decide whether they are satisfied with the outcome of the elections. Preliminary reports from international observers, including the EU, note that while there were shortcomings, the elections in Burma on 8 November were largely peaceful, orderly and well-run. Although the final results have not yet been officially announced, the National League for Democracy has already achieved enough votes to have won a mandate to form the next government, and the government has said it will accept the result. The UK stands ready to support the people of Burma, including those who were unable to vote, as the country moves to the next stage of its transition.