Tag: Imran Hussain

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the closure of the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya on refugees in that region; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd

The Government recognises the scale of the burden and challenge facing Kenya in terms of the number of refugees hosted there. We also recognise that progress under the Tripartite Agreement between the government of Kenya and the international community must urgently speed up, and that more needs to be done to ensure a safe and dignified refugee return. We are concerned over any destabilising action and actions must be consistent with international law. We have confirmed the readiness of the UK to work with the Government of Kenya and other key parties to find a solution.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that mental health services are not deprioritised in the commissioning process for budgetary reasons.

Nicola Blackwood

NHS England has a clear commitment that spending on mental health should increase year-on-year by an amount at least as great as the overall growth in clinical commissioning group (CCG) baseline allocations. From this year, NHS England’s budget and financial reporting will be aligned to specific mental health priorities, increasing transparency and allowing additional resources to be tracked at CCG level.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether special case funding to meet exceptional needs costs of resettled Syrian refugees beyond their first year of resettlement in the UK will be included as part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance contributions.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Official Development Assistance (ODA) can only be used to meet the first year post-arrival costs of each refugee, as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) rules do not permit usage past the first year.

We do though have an additional exceptional needs sum of money, available from our years 2 to 5 funding, amounting to 15% of the total funding available each year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the reasons why only 37 per cent of the millennium development goals in the UK’s 28 priority countries have been marked as met or will be met in her Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2014-15.

Grant Shapps

The majority of DFID’s priority countries are fragile or conflict-affected. These states have historically been under supported by the international development community. DFID increased its focus and spend in fragile states in 2010 and it was right to do so.

Progress against the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is driven by the collective action of developing countries and all development partners. DFID’s development programmes are designed to contribute towards these goals.

DFID’s ongoing Bilateral Aid Review will assess and review progress towards the MDGs as part of our strategic planning processes to inform future programming.

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 assessment he has made of the effect on community cohesion of the withdrawal of ESOL Plus Mandation funding.

Nick Boles

We have not carried out a specific assessment in relation to community cohesion. 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 provide ESOL training for jobseekers and therefore mitigate any adverse impact. Our data showed that the numbers of claimants being referred to ESOL Plus (Mandation) provision was significantly lower than originally anticipated.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on whether any members of the Burmese army who have received training from the Government have been involved in military offensives in which war crimes have allegedly been committed against civilians.

Penny Mordaunt

We do not provide combat training to the Burmese army. We do provide educational training which in 2015 included the Managing Defence in a Wider Security Context and Strategic Leadership Programmes, both delivered by the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in partnership with Cranfield University. In addition, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst delivered a Psychology of Leadership programme in Burma, and we have also provided English Language Training. We hold no information on whether any specific members of the Burmese Army who have received training from the UK have been involved in offensives in which war crimes may have been allegedly committed.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of public country-by-country reporting of corporation tax details by multinational companies on the economies of developing countries.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK supports efforts to improve tax transparency. We initiated international work on country-by-country (CbC) reporting during our G8 Presidency in 2013, calling on the OECD to develop a framework for CbC reporting to tax authorities as part of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. This important initiative will enhance transparency between business and tax authorities, including those of developing countries.

DFID funds the Global Forum and the World Bank to provide technical assistance to improve exchange of tax information in developing countries which will allow tax authorities to gain access to information such as country-by-country reports. We also support the OECD in helping developing countries tackle multinational practices such as transfer pricing and have provided HMRC tax auditors to Tax Inspectors Without Borders, which puts expert tax auditors in the field working on complex multinational audit cases.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether funding for UK-based consultancy firms is included in the UK’s 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product overseas development assistance target.

Mr Desmond Swayne

Consultancy funding for UK-based firms is included in the UK’s 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product overseas development assistance target.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that legacy funding from the Government for the Great Exhibition of the North is spent effectively.

Mr Edward Vaizey

I refer the Honourable member to my response to PQ 39132, answered on the 9th June.

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 ensure that NHS England is able to meet its aim of extending waiting time standards for mental health.

Nicola Blackwood

The National Health Service is already meeting standards on access to psychological therapies and we have introduced waiting time standards for early intervention in psychosis.

NHS England published an Implementation Plan in July 2016 setting out the actions required to deliver their Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, including developing the right pathways and access and waiting time standards for the treatment of mental health conditions. We are working with NHS England and health delivery partners to ensure that these actions are delivered.