Tag: Mark Pritchard

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the wearing of masks at demonstrations in public spaces.

Mike Penning

Face coverings can be worn in public places for a variety of legitimate reasons and there are no plans to introduce a blanket ban at demonstrations or other public events. The police already have powers in relation to the wearing of face masks in public order situations under existing legislation.

Section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 allows a police officer in uniform, following an authorisation relating to a specified area for a specified time (up to 24 hours initially), to remove or seize anything that he or she considers is being, or could be, worn wholly or mainly for the purposes of concealing identity. This would include all types of face coverings.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with cruise ship operators on reducing the amount of food waste generated by cruise ships.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government is in favour of reducing waste at source and supports efforts in the cruise ship sector to reduce, reuse and recycle waste including food waste.

Such efforts are best led by the industry themselves in the first instance and officials are engaged with the cruise sector trade association over their work to improve the handling of wastes including food wastes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that councils do not discriminate against people for whom British Sign Language is their first language in the provision of council services.

Mr Marcus Jones

The responsibility for providing appropriate support to enable meaningful communication with deaf people by local authorities lies with the local authorities themselves.

All local authorities have a legal responsibility under sections 20 and 29 of the Equality Act 2010 not to discriminate against disabled people in the provision of services and to make ‘reasonable adjustments’, which means for example providing information in an accessible format to allow deaf people to have equal access to their services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish his Department’s policy on the procurement of Autonomous Weapons Systems.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not possess any fully autonomous weapon systems and has no plans to develop, procure or operate them. MOD policy is clear that all weapon systems will be under human control.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what additional support her Department plans to give to Ethiopia because of drought in that country in 2015-16.

Grant Shapps

We are extremely concerned about the impact of the current drought on the food security situation in Ethiopia. A joint Government of Ethiopia and UN assessment is underway and we are in touch with our UN and Non-Governmental Organisation partners on the ground to determine the extent of need.

In October, the Government of Ethiopia announced that about 8.2 million people are in need of emergency food aid, up from the 4.5 million estimated in August. The number of severely malnourished children under five years old admitted to therapeutic feeding programmes this year has increased notably.

Britain has acted quickly and decisively by providing emergency support for 2.6 million people. This includes food aid for 2.1 million people for a month. The Government of Ethiopia has also committed its largest ever response to a drought. The international community will need to work hard with the Government of Ethiopia to prevent the crisis from worsening in the coming months.

DFID is at the forefront of resilience work to reduce the impact of crises in developing countries. In Ethiopia, DFID’s Productive Safety Nets Programme (PSNP) has helped turn desert land into land that can be farmed again.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2015 to Question 15775, on how many occasions since 2010 an authorisation under section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 has been granted in each police force area in England and Wales; and for what purpose each such authorisation was granted.

Mike Penning

The Home Office does not collect data on either the number of authorisations under section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 or the reasons for granting such authorisations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that local fire authorities install deaf awareness alternative smoke alarms in homes which make use of warning lights rather than sound as a warning system when requested.

Mike Penning

We expect local fire and rescue authorities to determine how to allocate their resources to best protect their communities from the risks from fire. Although each authority delivers a range of community fire safety interventions designed to prevent and reduce the risk from accidental dwelling fires, all also carry out a programme of home fire safety visits. In some cases, these visits, which offered tailored fire safety advice in the home, are focussed specifically on those who may be particularly vulnerable, including older people and those with disabilities. Fire and rescue authorities will, in certain circumstances, offer to provide and install free smoke alarms to households without them. This will include alarms designed specifically for those who may be deaf or have other hearing difficulties. How fire and rescue authorities decide where best to target their home fire safety visits and what fire safety equipment, if any, would reduce most effectively the risk to the household is a local matter based on a local assessment of risk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will conduct research on the potential link between levels of productivity and the provision of high-speed data services and broadband connectivity.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport commissioned research by SQW Consulting who produced the UK Broadband Impact Study in November 2013. The study demonstrates a clear link between improved productivity and high quality broadband connectivity. For example, the study estimated that the availability and take-up of faster broadband speeds will add about £17 billion to the UK’s annual Gross Value Added (GVA) by 2024.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will discuss with (a) EU partners and (b) the World Food Programme to ensure food supplies to people affected by the famine in Ethiopia.

Grant Shapps

We are extremely concerned about the impact of the current drought on the food security situation in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has shown great strides in development but remains fragile in the face of extreme climate events such as El Nino. The Government of Ethiopia is fully engaged and prioritising efforts to address the needs, having spent many years building up crisis response systems. The international community is working in support of the Government and the UK along with the EU, is one of the leading donors to the response. We are in daily contact with the World Food Programme (WFP) which is delivering supplies to people affected in support of the Government. A joint Government-UN assessment has just taken place and we are also assessing that food supplies reach those affected. We have also recently provided additional funding to WFP’s relief programme.

DFID’s Permanent Secretary Mark Lowcock visited Ethiopia from 9-12 November, and discussed the situation with senior members of the Ethiopian Government and partners. We are urging others to do more to support the Government response to the crisis.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what additional support the Government is giving to Syriac Christian and Yazidi female battalions in the fight against ISIL.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK has not provided any ammunition or equipment to any groups in Syria. The Global Coalition has provided air support to the Syrian Democratic Forces (which include Syrian Christian members) in their fight against Daesh. The US is leading international efforts to support the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and has provided ammunition and other equipment. The UK is playing a full role in the Coalition air campaign in Syria and will work closely with the US and other Coalition allies to consider additional support to partner forces in Syria fighting Daesh, including the SDF. We recognise the situation is desperate for many communities within Syria and Iraq. We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Christians, Mandeans, Yazidis, and other minorities, as well as the majority Muslim population in Iraq and Syria. Ultimately, the best way of safeguarding minority rights in the region is by defeating Daesh and establishing peace and stability. The UK has been at the forefront of these efforts, and has a comprehensive strategy to deal with Daesh.