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Tag: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role they have in the programme to contain the spread of Ebola.

    Baroness Northover

    To date, the UK government has contributed £897,324 to the Ebola Virus Disease response in the three affected countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia through multilateral partners and the DFID bilateral programme. In addition, DFID is finalizing arrangements to send out three Public Health England disease control specialists to Sierra Leone to support the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) response.

    In Sierra Leone, DFID funds are being used to support improved coordination at the national level; training and equipping of health workers competently to manage Ebola cases; improving EVD case detection and supporting appropriate radio messaging and community mobilisation activities on EVD prevention in affected districts. In Liberia, DFID has provided chlorine and other materials for hygiene and sanitising; and training in their appropriate use. Along with colleagues in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, we are closely monitoring the outbreak from Sierra Leone and Liberia (where we have DFID country offices) and internationally through Whitehall. We are working with WHO and national government agencies to improve our understanding of the outbreak and help to guide the response in-country and regionally.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the position of free media in Egypt.

    Baroness Warsi

    The British Government is appalled by the sentences given to Egyptian and international journalists in Cairo on 23 June, including to two British nationals being tried in absentia. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Right Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made a statement on 23 June expressing his concerns and urging the Egyptian government to demonstrate its commitment to freedom of expression by reviewing this case as a matter of urgency.

    The Egyptian Ambassador, Ashraf el-Kholy, was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on 23 June. FCO Political Director, Simon Gass, told the Egyptian Ambassador that the Government was deeply concerned by the verdicts, along with the procedural shortcomings seen during the trials. Our Ambassador to Egypt raised this issue in Cairo with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 24 June. We will continue to monitor the situation of these journalists very closely, and raise the issue with the Egyptian authorities. The UK believes that a free and robust media is a bedrock of democracy.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of China regarding the Basic Law and democratic elections in Hong Kong.

    Baroness Warsi

    We maintain a good dialogue both with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Chinese authorities, with whom we discuss Hong Kong regularly at senior levels. We did so most recently during the UK-China Summit in June, when the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and Premier Li discussed prospects for universal suffrage in 2017, alongside a variety of other issues. During his visit to Beijing in May, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), met with Wang Guangya, Director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office to discuss the transition to universal suffrage, as well as Hong Kong’s continuing prosperity.

    The Six Monthly Reports to Parliament demonstrate our commitment to closely monitor Hong Kong’s development. The latest Six Monthly Report is due to be published in mid-July.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to reduce sugar intake in children.

    Earl Howe

    Helping people consume fewer calories, including sugar, is key to reducing obesity levels in England. Through the Responsibility Deal, 40 companies, including those that produce and retail sugar sweetened beverages and confectionery, are removing sugar under the calorie reduction pledge.

    Rules are in place that prohibit the advertising of foods high in sugar in or around children’s television.

    The school food standards severely restrict the provision of foods and drinks that are high in sugar in schools.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to reduce the levels of obesity.

    Earl Howe

    We have a well-developed and wide-ranging programme of actions to reduce levels of obesity. These include working with a wide range of partners including Public Health England, NHS England, Government departments including the Department for Education and Department for Transport, and industry through the Public Health Responsibility Deal. Key initiatives include Change4Life, the National Child Measurement Programme, NHS Health Checks, Change4Life Sports Clubs, School Sports Funding and the School Food Plan.

    Our national ambition for a downward trend in excess weight in adults and children by 2020 requires collective action by Government, businesses, health and care professionals, and individuals. We believe the actions we are taking are delivering results with obesity rates levelling off, but we still have much further to go.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-04-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote ethnic minority recruitment to the police.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    Improved diversity in policing is absolutely necessary to cut crime in a modern, diverse society, while building the trust and confidence of local
    communities. It is important police forces reflect the communities they serve. While progress has been made to increase diversity of the workforce, the Government has said that there is still more for forces to do.

    This Government’s reforms have already made improvements, for example we set up the College of Policing which has embarked on a major programme to improve the recruitment, retention and progression of black and minority ethnic officers. Locally Police and Crime Commissioners will ensure that the public’s priorities on crime and community safety are acted upon.

    The Home Office is actively engaged with the College and forces to ensure that this work is given appropriate priority and that learning, best practice and opportunities are identified and shared.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-04-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to help young people buy their own homes.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    This Government is committed to supporting people’s aspirations to own their own home. That is why we have introduced schemes such as Help to Buy Equity Loan and Mortgage Guarantee, and reinvigorated Right to Buy. Since the spring of 2010, these, together with our affordable housing schemes have helped or are helping nearly 112,000 people to buy a home of their own. Since April 2010, 420,000 homes have been built, with new housing construction output now at its highest level since 2007.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-04-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to ensure the protection of bees.

    Lord De Mauley

    The importance of pollinators, including the honeybee, and their value to both food security and sustaining the natural environment is recognised as a high priority. In view of this, Defra has taken action on a number of fronts, including:

    · contributing £2.5 million over five years to the Insect Pollinators Initiative;

    · establishing the Healthy Bees Plan, a ten year plan to protect and improve the health of honeybees in England and Wales, of which five years has already been completed;

    · continuing to fund the long-established National Bee Unit bee health programme, which includes inspection of colonies, diagnosis of bee pests and diseases, and training for beekeepers; and

    · launching a public consultation on the National Pollinator Strategy this month.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-04-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to support the teaching of foreign languages in schools.

    Lord Nash

    The new national curriculum sets out clearly what should be taught to pupils, and gives teachers the flexibility to decide how to teach it. We expect schools to identify the support that they need to prepare for the new curriculum, recognising that different schools will face different challenges.

    We are allocating £350,000 to fund teaching school alliances and others to provide training on the new national curriculum for teachers of modern foreign languages in primary and secondary schools. Also, in terms of overall support for the new national curriculum, we have allocated some £1.9 million to teaching schools to lead curriculum change across and within their teaching school alliances.

    To support the introduction of a compulsory foreign language at key stage 2 (ages seven to 11) from September 2014, the independent Expert Group, chaired by a leading primary headteacher, has provided links to useful resources, which are hosted on the website of the Association for Language Learning.

    We are also making extensive use of social networking, including using high profile headteachers and others to raise the profile of the new curriculum, including for languages, through podcasts, webchats and blogs.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take to tackle election malpractices.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The integrity of elections is crucial to our democracy. The Government is introducing measures to strengthen the electoral system through the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration which will make the register more accurate and secure.

    The Government will carefully consider any findings by the Electoral Commission in relation to the 22 May 2014 elections to determine whether any further measures may be needed to support electoral integrity.