Tag: Margaret Ritchie

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland, born on or after 6 April 1951, have been affected by the equalisation of the state pension age.

Richard Harrington

Women born between 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1953 were affected by State Pension age equalisation under the Pensions Act 1995.

The Pensions Act 2011 accelerated the equalisation of State Pension age, and included transitional arrangements limiting State Pension age delays, affecting women born between 6 April 1953 and 5 December 1953. It also brought forward the increase in State Pension age from 65 to 66 which affected women born between 6 December 1953 and 5 April 1960.

Information on the numbers affected by constituent country or parliamentary constituency is not held by the Department for Work and Pensions. However, the most recent population breakdowns for Northern Ireland and its parliamentary constituencies by age can be found here:

http://www.nisra.gov.uk/demography/default.asp41.htm

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of freedom of religion and belief in Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

The Government is concerned by the violence directed towards those expressing secular or atheist views in Bangladesh. Ministers have been unequivocal in our condemnation of the murder of five secular bloggers and publishers in Bangladesh this year, and in calling for the Bangladesh government to protect those who face threats to their lives because of the views they have expressed. My noble Friend the right hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns, our High Commissioner in Dhaka and myself, in my statement on 7 August, have all expressed shock at the appalling murders and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice and free speech protected. In my 14 August blog I said that Bangladesh is a secular country, with a rich tradition of freedom and religious tolerance. That should be commended, protected and preserved.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Heiner Bielefeldt, visited Bangladesh from 31 August to 9 September. We look forward to the release of his report at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2016 and will encourage the government to consider all its recommendations carefully.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend further the Criminal Justice Act 2015 in relation to online harassment and internet trolling.

Mike Penning

Legislation that can be used to prosecute online harassment and related offences includes the Protection from Harassment Act 1997; the Malicious Communications Act 1988; and the Communications Act 2003. The Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 made changes to the relevant offences in these last two Acts which aim to ensure that people who commit them are prosecuted and properly punished.

The Government believes that current legislation is sufficient and does not intend to introduce specific additional legislation to address online harassment and internet trolling.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much UK aid has been spent on programmes to support (a) children who have been conscripted as child soldiers by Daesh, (b) other children who have been held in captivity by Daesh and (c) women and girls who have been held in sexual slavery by Daesh.

Mr Desmond Swayne

We are very concerned about appalling crimes committed by Daesh in Iraq and Syria, including against women and young children. We strongly condemn their use of sexual slavery, sexual violence, rape and kidnapping. Likewise, we have seen reports of children in Daesh-held areas being forced into military training after the militant group closed down their schools – leaving an estimated total of over 670,000 children without the opportunity of a proper education.

In Syria and Iraq, DFID continues to work with the UN and the international community to ensure all civilians’ rights are protected. However, we do not earmark our aid as being solely for Daesh victims or victims of other groups. The UK is committed to supporting the most vulnerable people wherever they are, in accordance with international humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, independence and impartiality. Consequently all UK funded humanitarian assistance is distributed on the basis of need, and need alone, regardless of politics, religion, ethnicity or place of origin.

The UK has pledged over £2.3 billion for the response to the Syria crisis. Some of this funding is enabling partner agencies to provide specialist assistance to those affected by sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including safe spaces, psychosocial support, cash assistance and reproductive healthcare. By June 2015, UK assistance had provided SGBV focussed interventions to over 197,000 individuals in Syria and the region. In addition, more than 673,000 children have been reached with child protection initiatives across Syria and the region.

Ultimately, the best way of safeguarding these children is by defeating Daesh and establishing a lasting peace in both Syria and Iraq. The UK Government is committed to this aim: we have a comprehensive strategy for defeating Daesh and continue to work with our international partners and the UN towards a political settlement in Syria.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent progress has been made on the accelerated decommissioning programme for nuclear waste in the UK.

Jesse Norman

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA’s) strategy was last updated and published in April of 2016. Progress is monitored in the NDA’s annual report and accounts, supplemented with quarterly progress reports on its business plan, as well as regular updates for priority programmes and major projects. All these documents are available on the NDA’s website.

Some of the highlights include good progress on priority projects, such as regular retrieval of waste from legacy facilities at Sellafield, removal of all spent nuclear fuel from the Oldbury nuclear power station and the ongoing defueling of the nuclear power station at Wylfa on Anglesey following its closure in December 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who she met during her visit to China in November 2015; and what was (a) discussed and (b) agreed at those meetings.

George Eustice

During her visit the Secretary of State met a number of her counterparts, supported the two week long Food is GREAT Campaign in China and took with her the largest ever UK delegation to the Food and Hotel China trade show. She signed agreements to open the markets for UK barley and pigs trotters worth up to £190m over 5 years and discussed the forward plan for opening up the markets for poultry, beef and lamb. She discussed shared priorities with the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Water Resources and agreed programmes of closer collaboration.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has for consultation with (a) civil society groups, (b) the devolved administrations and (c) Northern Ireland to inform its report for the third cycle of the Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review.

Dominic Raab

We have not yet been informed of the date of the third Universal Periodic Review of the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the Government is providing to healthcare systems in countries affected by the Zika virus.

Mr Nick Hurd

The Department for International Development is working with the Department for Heath, who are leading the UK government’s response to Zika, and Public Health England and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This includes supporting the World Health Organisation in galvanising an effective international response.

DFID is adapting ongoing health programmes to focus on preparing for Zika. DFID has active health system strengthening programmes in many of our partner countries. DFID provides support to the health sector in a number of countries in South East Asia and the Commonwealth Caribbean.

These programmes aim to build the capacity of health systems to prevent, detect, and treat communicable disease outbreaks. These countries already respond to dengue, which is transmitted through the same vector as the Zika virus.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the remaining total cost to the public purse will be of construction at Hinkley Point C should that project receive approval.

Jesse Norman

Under the terms of the contract, which has yet to be entered into, the remaining total cost to the public purse for the construction at Hinkley Point C would be borne entirely by the developer, who would bear all the construction risk. If construction comes in under budget then any savings above a threshold would be shared with consumers, but if there are overspends then the developer would bear any additional costs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he has made an assessment of the need for regulation of hairdressing.

Anna Soubry

The Government is currently reviewing all UK regulated professions under the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive. Part of this review will assess the necessity and proportionality of the current arrangements, with a view to cutting red tape where possible. We will make any further announcements when the review concludes in January. While there are regulations governing the suitability of premises, the hairdressing profession itself is not regulated. Anyone is free to practice as a hairdresser and there are no statutory requirements for the majority of those employed within this sector to register on a national register. However, the Hair Council has developed and operates a voluntary registration scheme which is recognised within the hairdressing industry.