Tag: Nigel Dodds

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Irish government on security at airport and ferry ports in the Republic of Ireland.

James Brokenshire

Home Office Ministers and officials have regular contact with their Irish counterparts; there is excellent government and operational level co-operation to prevent those seeking to abuse the CTA arrangement from doing so.

In particular, we are working together to further align our respective border and visa policy processes in order to strengthen the external CTA border.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent on the provision of eye clinic care liaison officers in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt

In England, eye clinics and their staffing, including Eye Clinic Liaison Officers (ECLO), are commissioned and funded by individual clinical commissioning groups on the basis of local assessments of need.

The Department does not collect data on the number of eye clinic liaison officers employed in hospitals or how much has been spent on funding ECLOs.

The Government fully appreciates the impact that sight loss can have on a person’s life and the importance of information being available for those newly diagnosed with sight loss, including signposting patients to appropriate support and rehabilitation services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment she has made of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

Mr Ben Wallace

We strongly value the work and commitment of Electoral Office staff in managing electoral registration and elections in Northern Ireland. The introduction of digital registration to Northern Ireland later this year will bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the United Kingdom and means that now is the right time to consider how services can be delivered as effectively as possible in the future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-07-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many police officers there are per head of population (a) in Northern Ireland, (b) in the Metropolitan Police Service area and (c) on average for all police forces in the UK.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

There is currently 1 PSNI officer per 273 of the population in Northern Ireland.

The answers for part (b) and (c) are matters for the Home Office.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic, humanitarian or consular assistance his Department has provided to Ms Maud Kells, the missionary from County Tyrone who was shot and wounded in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mr David Lidington

I was very concerned to hear the reports of a British national hospitalised after this shooting. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in London and the Democratic Republic of Congo are providing consular assistance through direct contact with her, the charity she works for and the local doctors to ensure that she is being provided with medical treatment and support. We understand that the matter is being investigated by the local authorities. Background Ms Maude Kells a 75 year old Christian charity worker (WEC International) was shot in the shoulder on Sunday 4 January currently being treated in Nyunkunde Hospital, DRC. Post are in contact with Ms Kells, doctors and WEC International. The hospital has reported that Ms Kells is recovering well considering her injuries and she may be discharged in a few days time. Post confirm local authorities investigating. Press lines -“We can confirm the hospitalisation of a British national in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are providing consular assistance.”

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support religious tolerance of Christians in India.

Mr Hugo Swire

Our High Commissioner to India, Sir James Bevan recently met India’s Minister of Minority Affairs, Dr Najma Heptulla, on 16 June to discuss a range of minority issues, including the protection of religious freedoms. Our High Commission in New Delhi also discusses minority issues, including religious tolerance of Christians, with the Indian National Commission for Minorities and with other relevant State level authorities. Minority rights were also discussed at the EU-India human rights dialogue on 27 November 2013. We will continue to maintain a dialogue with the new Indian government about minority rights issues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many community grant applications have been received from HQ 38 (Irish) Brigade in Northern Ireland; how many such applications were successful; and how much was disbursed in respect of those applications in each year since the inception of that scheme.

Anna Soubry

The first community grant application from HQ 38 (Irish) Brigade was submitted in January 2015. There have been no previous applications submitted because there have been no Community Covenants signed in Northern Ireland.

Despite this, good progress has been made on Covenant issues during 2014 with nearly all of the measures in the Covenant now extending to Northern Ireland. HQ 38 (Irish) Brigade provides a focus for taking Covenant issues forward in the region. The Armed Forces Covenant annual report, laid before the House on 16 December 2014, highlights this progress. I am planning to visit Northern Ireland soon, and I will take the opportunity to see for myself the progress that has been made and its effect on the Armed Forces Community in the Province.

We will continue to engage with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that the needs of the Armed Forces community are met.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in other NATO member states on the Middle East.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

I have not yet had discussions with other NATO member states. However, the Government is in regular and frequent close contact with NATO member states on a range of issues across the Middle East.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to provide retraining opportunities for (a) former employees of City Link and (b) others who have been made redundant in the parcel delivery sector.

Esther McVey

Jobcentre Plus through its Rapid Response Service (RRS) aims to address the effects of redundancies on individuals and the local community by helping those affected move into alternative employment quickly.

RRS offers a range of support, tailored at a local level to the needs of the individual and the local labour market.

Former City Link employees, or any other employee who has been made redundant in the parcel delivery sector would be eligible for RRS support and anyone who approaches their local Jobcentre will be advised and directed accordingly.

In Scotland and Wales, RRS support is delivered in partnership with Skills Development Scotland (Partnership Action for Continuing Employment) and the Welsh Assembly Government (Redundancy Action Scheme), respectively. The Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland (DELNI) leads support there. Each service is similarly serving the needs of City Link employees based there.

Both DWP and BIS continue to work with the Administrator Ernst & Young and trade unions to see how we might further assist and support City Link employees in their movement back into employment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage freedom of religion in Burma and other South-East Asian countries.

Mr Hugo Swire

I made very clear during my visit to Burma in January that respect for freedom of religion and belief must be guaranteed. Our Ambassador and officials regularly discuss the importance of freedom of religion, which is guaranteed in the constitution, with the Burmese government, and also regularly meet representatives of all faith communities. The UK is also providing funding to train journalists on responsible coverage of religious freedom and conflict, and supporting a project to enhance the capacity of civil society groups to advocate freedom of religion. We have previously provided funding for interfaith dialogue and peace building amongst young people.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials across South-East Asia regularly discuss these issues with local governments and faith communities, and Ministers also raise specific issues and concerns as they arise. Recently, for example, I raised our concerns about the introduction of a sharia criminal code in Brunei with Deputy Foreign Minister Pehin Lim; our Ambassador in Jakarta has discussed the protection of religious minority groups in Indonesia; and my noble Friend, the right hon. Baroness Warsi, has stressed the importance of tolerance and mutual respect with senior ministers in Malaysia. We will also continue to support projects across South-East Asia designed to bolster and protect freedom of religion and belief.