Tag: Matthew Offord

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Palestinian Authority on its involvement in direct peace talks without preconditions with the Israeli government.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK has made clear, in conversations with the Palestinian Authority, that the best way to achieve a two-state solution is through negotiations. However, in order to achieve this, there must be an environment conducive to peace, and that is why we are urging all parties to de-escalate current tensions across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) emphasised the importance of resolving the current tensions when he spoke to President Abbas on 9 October. On 8 October, our Consul General in Jerusalem raised our concerns with President Abbas’ political adviser, Majdi Khaldi; Palestinian chief negotiator and Secretary-General of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, Sa’eb Erekat; and the Palestinian Chief of Police, Hazem Attallah; as well as with Amal Jadou, Palestinian Assistant Minister for European Affairs, on 21 October.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to coordinate development and environmental sustainability agendas.

Grant Shapps

The new Global Goals provide a strong new framework for sustainable growth and poverty reduction, explicitly linking the development and environmental sustainability agendas. DFID is integrating environmental sustainability through development policy, research and investment, including investment of Climate Finance via the UK’s International Climate Fund (ICF) which has helped 15 million poor and vulnerable people adapt to the effects of climate change and helped 2.6 million people to access to clean energy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the economic recovery in Nepal since the earthquake in April 2015.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The Nepal government estimates that GDP reduced by 1.5% as a result of the earthquake. Economic recovery has been slow and uncertain.

Delays setting up the National Reconstruction Authority and unrest in the border area with India, which has closed most border crossings for over 6 weeks, make economic recovery challenging. We are pressing the government to prioritise the post-disaster response.

The UK is providing up to £35 million for technical assistance to the Government of Nepal to directly mobilise more than £600 million of private investment into growth-boosting sectors, such as export-focused hydropower projects, indirectly generating better-paying jobs for unskilled and low-skilled Nepalese. The UK is also investing in building and maintaining roads to improve access in Nepal.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of political and economic progress in Somalia.

Grant Shapps

During my recent visit in July, I saw the complex challenges that Somalia faces after more than two decades of conflict. Despite this, real progress is being made in reaching a political settlement, tackling the threat posed by Al Shabaab, and rebuilding the economy and the state. Credible elections next year will be a further important step forward. As one of Somalia’s leading international partners, we are doing everything we can to support the completion of the federal map, the electoral process, and the economic development of the country.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much of her Department’s budget is directed at the root causes of migration.

Justine Greening

The root causes of migration are diverse. They include conflict, lack of security and also lack of opportunity or jobs. That’s why we provide help and security for refugees affected by the Syria crisis. When we double our work on jobs and growth, it is not only good for the people and countries we are supporting, it is in our national interest too.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on implementing plans for new IEP and Thameslink rolling stock.

Claire Perry

Implementation plans for both fleets are making good progress. Hitachi Rail’s Class 800/801 IEP train manufacturing facility was opened by the Prime Minister on 3 September, IEP depot construction continues as planned and testing of the three IEP test trains continues on the East Coast Main Line. In terms of Thameslink, Siemens has delivered the first two Class 700 trains and the Secretary of State opened the new Thameslink Programme Three Bridges traincare facility on 15 October. The first Class 700s trains are planned to enter passenger service, as planned, in Spring 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department provides to the London Borough of Barnet for the upkeep of local roads.

Andrew Jones

This Department does not provide direct funding to the London Borough of Barnet for the upkeep of local roads. We do, however, provide funding to Transport for London (TfL) each year, which for 2015/16 we have provided a grant of £1.5bn, part of which TfL in turn passes to the boroughs for spending on road maintenance and improvement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what response her Department has received to the consultation on regulations on the gender pay gap.

Caroline Dinenage

This government is committed to closing the gender pay gap in a generation by addressing the underlying causes of the gender pay gap, including the gender bonus gap. Our consultation on Closing the Gender Pay Gap closed on 6 September, and received nearly 700 responses. Over 200 employers and business organisations responded, including the CBI, whose members employ around a third of the private sector workforce. We have announced that this will apply to large employers and to large public bodies. We will be working with employers on how this will be implemented as they will be required to publish information showing the differences in pay between men and women.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the measures contained within the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation’s European Model Law for the promotion of tolerance and the suppression of intolerance.

Mr Marcus Jones

In the UK we have a strong legal framework against all forms of hate crime and discrimination. Many of the aims suggested in the European Model Law for the promotion of tolerance and the addressing of intolerance are reflected in our current approach and we welcome input and views on how we can improve our work.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that there are adequate numbers of school places in Hendon constituency.

Edward Timpson

Local authorities are responsible for planning and securing sufficient school places in their area; supporting them in this is one of this government’s top priorities. We allocate basic need funding to local authorities to help create new school places where they are needed. The London Borough of Barnet has been allocated £27.9 million for the period 2015-18. Barnet also received £68.7 million of basic need funding between 2011 and 15, which is an increase of 49.5 million compared to the amount spent by the previous government in the period 2007-11.

The money allocated to Barnet since 2011 has helped to create 7,136 new school places between 2010 and 2014. In addition, Watling Park School, a primary free school that opened in September 2015, is due to provide 420 additional primary places once at full capacity.

Information on basic need allocations can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations-2015-to-2018

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