The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the cost to the public purse is of the airport at St Helena.
Rory Stewart
In 2011 DFID approved an allocation of £285.5 million for the airport at St Helena.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to support the Russian government since the crash of Airbus 321 in Egypt.
Mr David Lidington
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on the day of the Sinai air crash to express the UK Government’s deepest condolences for the tragic loss of life. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has spoken to President Putin on two occasions to offer his condolences and any assistance the UK might be able to provide, and to set out our assessment of the cause of the crash and the steps we have taken to ensure the safety of our citizens. The Prime Minister and President Putin also met in the margins of the G20 Summit in Antalya. We have also followed up at senior official level with further details and to offer practical cooperation and coordination in Sharm el-Sheikh.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-12-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many volunteers there are currently carrying out work in each prison in England and Wales.
Lord Faulks
This information is not held centrally. The Ministry of Justice facilitates a wide and varied range of opportunities for volunteers to work with offenders, within prisons and in the community, and also directly recruits volunteers to sit on its Independent Monitoring Boards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of illegal immigrants in residence in each constituent region and nation of the UK in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.
James Brokenshire
Government estimates on the number of illegal migrants currently living in the UK by constituent region and nation are not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the UK Embassy in Israel has taken to monitor attacks on Christian places of worship.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv are in regular contact with representatives of churches on a range of issues, including concern about attacks on places of worship. The last attack occurred on 17 January when the Dormition Abbey compound of the Orthodox Church in the Old City of Jerusalem was vandalised with anti-Christian slogans. The ‘Tag Meir’ organisation has listed 44 cases of vandalism and arson on Christian and Muslim places of worship in Israel and the West Bank since December 2009.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Warner on 2016-03-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of (1) how many health professionals will return to permanent NHS jobs as a result of price caps on agency staff spending, and (2) how many nurses will leave nursing as a result of those caps.
Lord Prior of Brampton
No formal assessment has been made by the Department to estimate the specific numbers of health professionals that will return to permanent National Health Service jobs as a result of the introduction of price caps on agency staff spending, or on the number of nurses that may leave nursing as a result.
Trust boards have primary responsibility for monitoring the local impact of the price caps and ensuring patient safety.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-04-14.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what investments his Department plans to be (a) permitted and (b) excluded under a lifetime ISA.
Harriett Baldwin
The new Lifetime ISA will provide savers with the flexibility to save towards a first home and retirement at the same time.
From April 2017, people aged 18 to 40 will be able to save up to £4,000 each year into a Lifetime ISA and receive a 25% bonus from the Government.
The Government is engaging with the industry on the detail of implementation and regulation of the Lifetime ISA. Further details will be announced when the Government brings forward legislation to enact the Lifetime ISA in the autumn.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-05-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have about Palestinian refugees besieged by Government forces in Khan Eshieh near Damascus; and in particular, whether they intend to take action to press for a ceasefire to allow the evacuation of non-combatants, including women and children.
Baroness Verma
The UK is extremely concerned about the volatile situation in southern Damascus in recent weeks. We strongly condemn the indiscriminate attacks in the Khan Eshieh camp on 17 May 2016, killing five Palestinian refugees and a Syrian. We are particularly concerned by reports that the Khan Eshieh area has been placed under siege, blocking essential supplies from entering and risking the lives of thousands of civilians. We continue to call on all sides of the conflict, and their supporters, to respect and ensure respect for International Humanitarian Law and protect civilians.
The UK will consider any option compliant with international law that might saves lives in Syria. We do not think it would be feasible to broker a local ceasefire in Khan Eshieh, given the parties involved in the fighting there. However, though the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), we will continue to support the fulfilment of the cessation of hostilities and full humanitarian access.
The UK has given support to the UN and international NGOs since the start of the conflict to deliver aid to besieged and hard to reach areas. We will continue to use our position in the UN Security Council to push for humanitarian access across Syria. As a core member of the International Syria Support Group we agreed with other members of 11 February that humanitarian access should be opened to a number of priority areas as a first step to accelerating full and sustained access across Syria. Since then, UNRWA has delivered at least 25 convoys with multi-sectoral assistance to southern Damascus.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with governments of other EU countries on the rights of residence of British citizens resident in EU countries.
Mr David Jones
The rights retained by EU nationals here and British citizens in other EU states once the UK has left the European Union will be agreed during the course of negotiations. The Government fully expects that the legal status of EU nationals in the UK will be properly protected when we leave the EU. We also expect the same for British nationals in other EU Member States.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to page 21 of her Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16, what assessment she has made of progress against its target of doubling its funding on improving tax systems in developing countries by 2020.
Rory Stewart
The UK is recognised as a global leader in tax and development, working to end aid dependency in developing countries. The UK, as a founding signatory to the Addis Tax Initiative, pledged to double our spend on tax and development by 2020. My Department has made strong progress and is on course to deliver this commitment by 2020.