Tag: Lord Oates

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Oates on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the current gap in donor funding to tackle the food shortages in Ethiopia, and what steps they are taking to encourage other donor countries to meet their obligations.

Baroness Verma

Britain is working closely with the Government of Ethiopia and the international community to ensure adequate funding for drought response activities. Britain’s overall funding for the drought to date is £145 million, making the UK the second largest donor.

In December, the Government of Ethiopia and the United Nations launched an appeal for 2016 to fundraise $1.4 billion (~£923 million) to respond to the drought in Ethiopia. By the beginning of May, 66% of the required funds had been raised.

DFID is working closely with other donor governments to monitor the response and to lobby for support for the Government of Ethiopia and the UN appeal. Most recently, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Hurd discussed the current crisis with EU Commissioner Stylianides and in particular how to encourage others to step-up. DFID has also been working closely with the Ethiopian Government to support their leadership of the humanitarian response. To date, the Government of Ethiopia has allocated $381 million (~£269 million) to address the crisis. This is commendable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Oates on 2015-12-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 1 December (HL3716), what legal redress is available to patients denied access to mental health care by public health authorities that fail to comply with the provisions of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 on equal priority for mental and physical health.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Government is committed to achieving parity of esteem between physical and mental health and we expect people to have access to appropriate care and treatment based on their needs. We have implemented the first waiting times for mental health to improve access to mental health services. If individuals are dissatisfied with the services they are receiving, they may raise their concerns using local complaints procedures and if necessary with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Oates on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their representatives at the IMF and other international financial institutions will make clear that international financial assistance should not be made available to the government of Zimbabwe unless and until it enacts and implements the provisions of the constitution of Zimbabwe in full.

Baroness Verma

The UK continues to emphasise that any future financial assistance to Zimbabwe from the international financial institutions will need to be based on evidence of comprehensive reforms.

We welcome the inclusion of the commitment to align legislation with the Constitution in the package of reforms being discussed with the IMF and the Government of Zimbabwe’s letter of intent to the International Monetary Fund Board.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Oates on 2015-12-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Zimbabwe regarding the disappearance of Itai Dzamara.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government has been following this case closely since Itai Dzamara’s abduction in March 2015. Together with EU Member States, we have repeatedly called on the Government of Zimbabwe to undertake a full investigation. The EU issued a local statement on 11 September expressing deep concern about Itai Dzamara’s welfare. We continue to urge the Zimbabwean authorities to do everything they can to enable him to recover his freedom, and to respect their legal obligation to report on the progress of the investigation. The EU Delegation is in contact with Mr Dzamara’s family.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Oates on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the likely efficacy of international financial assistance to the government of Zimbabwe in the light of the decision by the Reserve Bank to start issuing bond notes.

Baroness Verma

If Zimbabwe clears its arrears to the International Financial Institutions, any future financing would need to be based on comprehensive reforms and a firm commitment to sound macroeconomic management. The UK shares concerns that the introduction of bond notes could be damaging to confidence in the Zimbabwean economy, if not managed appropriately by the Government of Zimbabwe.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Oates on 2015-12-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Zimbabwe about political violence and the political impartiality of the Zimbabwe Republic Police in dealing with this violence.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

I refer the noble Lord to the response given in the other place by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Mr Benn) on 27 October 2015 [12945], summarising our assessment of the political situation. There have been reports of political violence, directed against the opposition Movement for Democratic Change as well as between factions of the governing Zimbabwe African National Union party in recent months. Our Ambassador in Harare raised our concerns with the Government of Zimbabwe on 1 December. The UK remains committed to supporting the aspirations of the Zimbabwean people for a more peaceful, democratic, stable and prosperous Zimbabwe, free from political violence and repression.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Oates on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the signals that would be sent to the government of Zimbabwe were the IMF and other international financial institutions to resume financial assistance to Zimbabwe, in the light of the current activities of the Zimbabwe Republic Police and other elements of the security forces there.

Baroness Verma

Donors have consistently made clear that resumption of financial assistance to Zimbabwe from the international financial institutions would need to be based on the Government of Zimbabwe’s commitment to make significant process across a broad range of reforms, including rule of law and constitutional alignment. It is of course vital that the right signals are sent to both the government and the people of Zimbabwe.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Oates on 2015-12-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made regarding the government of Zimbabwe’s attempt to access external funding from multilateral financial institutions including the IMF, World Bank and African Development Bank.

Baroness Verma

The Government of Zimbabwe has been in arrears to the International Financial Institutions for over a decade. This prevents Zimbabwe from accessing any new financing for development from the World Bank, IMF and African Development Bank.

The Government of Zimbabwe presented its plans to clear multilateral arrears at a side meeting during the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings, in October. Bilateral creditors at the meeting, including the UK, broadly welcomed the intention of the Government of Zimbabwe to work towards arrears clearance, but stressed that implementation of reforms would be necessary to achieve debt resolution.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Oates on 2016-07-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 14 July (HL1014), whether it is the policy of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to refer to all ministers of foreign countries without using their title or forename, as with Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa; and if so, when that became their policy.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have amended the record so that it provides Zimbabwean Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa’s full title.