Tag: Jeffrey M. Donaldson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on the oral and written evidence provided by the Government to the Joint Committee on the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

I have been in regular contact with the Home Secretary on the Investigatory Powers Bill since drafting began last year. The Government is fully aware of the crucial importance of this legislation for combating terrorism in Northern Ireland. In November, the Home Secretary and I met to discuss the pre-legislative scrutiny process and the latest draft of the Bill that has been examined by the Joint Committee.

Between November and January, the Government provided detailed evidence to the Joint Committee, including the Home Secretary’s oral evidence given last week. The Government’s evidence has explained the provisions of the Bill in detail and has set out the necessity of the powers as well as the safeguards that are to apply.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the Gateway Project for armed forces veterans; and what plans he has to include Northern Ireland within the scope of that project.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence has explored options for the development of a veterans gateway service to provide a single cross-sector point of access for all veterans. The Armed Forces Covenant Reference Group has recently directed that the Covenant Fund prioritise funding for a pilot project to set up a 24 hours a day single point of contact veterans gateway service in financial year 2016-17 and this will be formally announced shortly. The project’s reach will extend across the UK, including Northern Ireland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the Gateway Project for armed forces veterans; and what plans he has to include Northern Ireland within the scope of that project.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence has explored options for the development of a veterans gateway service to provide a single cross-sector point of access for all veterans. The Armed Forces Covenant Reference Group has recently directed that the Covenant Fund prioritise funding for a pilot project to set up a 24 hours a day single point of contact veterans gateway service in financial year 2016-17 and this will be formally announced shortly. The project’s reach will extend across the UK, including Northern Ireland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to maintain the Royal Irish Aftercare Service in support of veterans of Operation Banner in Northern Ireland.

Mr Julian Brazier

The Ulster Defence Regiment and The Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) Aftercare Service provides a vital service to support all veterans and dependants of those Regiments as well as sick and wounded personnel who leave the Armed Forces and wish to settle in Northern Ireland. Around £900,000 has been allocated to deliver this service in financial year 2016-17. Looking ahead as part of our commitment to deliver the most effective and efficient services to our veterans the Ministry of Defence is considering integrating the Aftercare Service into the MOD’s broader veterans welfare organisation, Veterans UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding he plans to allocate to the Royal Irish Aftercare Service in the next financial year.

Mr Julian Brazier

The Ulster Defence Regiment and The Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) Aftercare Service provides a vital service to support all veterans and dependants of those Regiments as well as sick and wounded personnel who leave the Armed Forces and wish to settle in Northern Ireland. Around £900,000 has been allocated to deliver this service in financial year 2016-17. Looking ahead as part of our commitment to deliver the most effective and efficient services to our veterans the Ministry of Defence is considering integrating the Aftercare Service into the MOD’s broader veterans welfare organisation, Veterans UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland is a Crown body or a non-departmental public body; and what the planned budget for that office is for 2016-17.

Mr Ben Wallace

The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland is a statutory officer holder. He/she is supported by the employees of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland who are recruited directly by the Chief Electoral Officer under s.14A of the Electoral Law Act 1962.

An initial resource budget (excluding depreciation) of £2,011,000 has been allocated to the Chief Electoral Officer. Further funding – both capital and resource – will be made available to support the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland transformation programme which includes the introduction of digital registration.

The Chief Electoral Officer will also receive funding from the Consolidated Fund and the Northern Ireland Assembly to support the EU Referendum and Northern Ireland Assembly elections that are due to take place in 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received representations to support the candidacy of Argentine Foreign Minister Susanna Malcorra for the position of UN Secretary General; what assessment he has made of the potential effect on UK sovereignty over the Falkland Islands of such an appointment; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

I have received notice that Argentina’s Foreign Minister, Susana Malcorra, is bidding for the role of UN Secretary-General. We want a strong Secretary-General, one with integrity, a proven track record, first class communication skills, suitable and relevant experience and unimpeachable character. They should be committed to transparency and accountability, have strong leadership skills, a bold vision for an activist UN at the heart of the rules-based system, and be committed to cost-effective management and reform. It is imperative that any Secretary-General serves the whole membership. We judge all candidates on their merits. The United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falklands and surrounding maritime areas, nor about the Falkland Islanders’ right to decide their own future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the (a) criteria by which applicants are selected and (b) names of applicants who applied to host Armed Forces Day in 2017.

Mike Penning

Guidance on applying to host the Armed Forces Day National Event is available from the Ministry of Defence’s Ceremonial Events and Commemorations Team whose contact details are on the Armed Forces Day Website: www.armedforcesday.org.uk.

Applications typically take the form of a letter from the Local Authority Leader /Chief Executive, to the Defence Minister in the House of Lords (Earl Howe). This letter is assessed to gauge the strength of the applicant’s argument as to why they should be selected, and the quality of their proposals for the event. In addition, the following aspects are considered:

Proximity to previous national events – there would be an aspiration to stage the event in a different region of the country to previous events, in order to capture a fresh local audience.

Maturity of any existing annual event hosted by the applicant.

Availability of a suitable venue and infrastructure within the applicant’s jurisdiction.

Support of local populace for the Armed Forces.

The applicant’s capacity to administer an event of equivalent scale and significance.

Financial resource available, and plans to secure adequate sponsorship.

While it would be inappropriate to name the authorities that lost out to Liverpool City Council in the process of selecting the hosts for the National Armed Forces Day event in 2017, we can confirm that no formal bid was received from any local authority in Ulster.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department asked local authorities in Northern Ireland to apply to host Armed Forces Day in 2017.

Mike Penning

It is a matter for local authorities to decide whether to apply to host Armed Forces Day in 2017.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the deadline for the receipt of applications for Armed Forces Day 2018 will be.

Mike Penning

Applications for the National Event are accepted at any time, though should typically be submitted by the end of March in the preceding year, so March 2017 for the 2018 event.