Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the UN and other agencies on (a) encouraging the establishment of an international, independent and impartial mechanism to investigate allegations of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Yemen and (b) applying pressure on parties to the conflict in Yemen to end the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The consensual Resolution on Yemen adopted at the Human Rights Council Session in September 2015 expressed concern about the human rights situation and committed the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights to work with the Government of Yemen to help them investigate human rights abuses and violations. We have urged the Government of Yemen to co-operate fully with this process. We are in regular contact with the Government of Yemen and the UN, including to raise our concerns regarding the impact the conflict is having on the lives of ordinary Yemenis. Yemen will remain on the Human Rights Council’s agenda: an oral report on developments will be given at the next session in March 2016 (31st session) and a written report will be presented to the Council in September 2016 (33rd session).

    The UK has regularly raised with the Saudi Arabian Government, the need to comply with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen and we continue to engage with them on this. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL. A political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability to Yemen. The UK welcomes the UN facilitated talks and continue to urge parties to engage in a new round of talks. This will help create the conditions for the legitimate Government to protect human rights and ensure respect for IHL, including as through the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.

  • David Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    David Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Jones on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department is providing to Christian militias in the fight against Daesh in Iraq and Syria.

    Penny Mordaunt

    We are not providing support on the basis of faith or religion. In Iraq, our focus has been on the Iraqi security forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, to whom we have provided training in infantry skills and tactics to counter improvised explosive devices. We have also provided medical training. In Syria, we have delivered over £4 million of life-saving equipment to moderate opposition groups including communications, medical and logistics equipment, and protection against chemical weapons attacks.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many consultants’ contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and what the cost of each such termination was in each of those years.

    Mr David Lidington

    This information is not held centrally and the question cannot be answered without incurring disproportionate cost.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of UK firms based in the North West of England that trade with other EU member states; and how many people are employed by each such firm.

    Anna Soubry

    HMRC Regional Trade Statistics on the number of firms trading with the EU are publically available through the UKTradeInfo website.

    HM Treasury has published estimates of the number of UK jobs linked to EU exports broken down by region. These are available through the GOV.UK website.

  • Lord Naseby – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Naseby – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Naseby on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for any grant awarded to Action on Smoking and Health in each of the last five years, how much was awarded in one financial year and spent in a subsequent one.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department has received an application for grant funding from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) for the 2016-17 financial year. The application process is iterative to ensure the final objectives are in line with Departmental aims and the application that the Department currently holds is a draft application. Draft applications for grant funding are not published.

    There was no underspend of the grant awarded to ASH in 2015-16 and, in each of the last five years, the funding has been spent in the relevant financial year.

  • Zac Goldsmith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Zac Goldsmith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many rodent reintroduction incidents have occurred on South Georgia since the commencement of the rodent eradication project.

    James Duddridge

    There has been one confirmed sighting of a rodent in October 2014. It was found in an area baited as part of the rodent eradication project. The source of the rodent is not known. On its sighting a pre-prepared plan was enacted. After intensive monitoring of the area, no signs of rodents have been seen, and it is believed the response was effective and the area remains rodent free.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the ratio of medical staff to administrators is in the NHS.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The ratio of medical staff to administrators in the National Health Service is 1:1.05. The number of medical staff includes only doctors and does not include roles such as nurses, midwives and other non-medical clinicians.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Security Industry Authority licence applications were received in each of the last 12 months; and how many such applications were processed within 25 days.

    Brandon Lewis

    The average time taken to process applications is unavailable in the format requested. The SIA’s new IT system (introduced in July 2016) enables more detailed performance analysis. The system shows that the average number of days for processing applications (including renewals) was 38 days in July and 30 days in August. Once fully embedded, the SIA expect that the processing time for applications will be quicker than under the old system. The Security Industry Authority (SIA) have an annual performance target to process 80% of applications (including renewals) within 25 working days. The SIA met this annual target in the 2015/16 financial year. Performance for 2016/2017 to date is included in the table below.

    Applications

    Percentage within 25 working days

    Sep-15

    11618

    89%

    Oct-15

    10799

    85%

    Nov-15

    10499

    83%

    Dec-15

    8589

    76%

    Jan-16

    9905

    80%

    Feb-16

    10597

    83%

    Mar-16

    10352

    85%

    Apr-16

    9951

    86%

    May-16

    9889

    81%

    Jun-16

    9277

    80%

    Jul-16

    6305

    46%

    Aug-16

    9208

    72%
  • Virendra Sharma – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Virendra Sharma – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the number of spare parts his Department has for equipment no longer in use; and what steps his Department has taken to ensure that spare parts for such equipment are not held in storage.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Since the introduction of the Defence Equipment and Support Inventory Management Strategy (IMS) in 2012 the level of obsolete stock held has substantially reduced; currently, items identified as obsolete represent less than 0.2 per cent of the total value of inventory held by the Ministry of Defence. As at 1 April 2015 the IMS has achieved an overall stock reduction of £8.7 billion against a strategic target of £9.5 billion set for 31 March 2016. We are also working with industry to optimise inventory further and reduce the logistics footprint, while supporting operations and maintaining availability to the Front-line Commands.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on interpreters working on behalf of the UK armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan who wish to seek resettlement in the UK.

    Penny Mordaunt

    For information on Iraq, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State for Defence, the Rt Hon Earl Howe, to the noble Lady, Baroness Jolly, in the House of Lords to Question HL3606.

    In Afghanistan, the Ex-Gratia Redundancy Scheme offers nearly 500 eligible local staff, including interpreters, the opportunity to apply for relocation to the UK. More than 200 have already been granted visas and have moved to the UK with their immediate families. Others are going through the application process or are still in our employment.