Tag: Patrick Grady

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether the Government plans to table amendments to the Scotland Bill in the House of Lords.

David Mundell

The Government tabled substantive amendments to the Scotland Bill at Report Stage of the Bill in the House of Commons. The Bill subsequently passed third reading without division. The Government’s amendments strengthened the Bill and put beyond doubt that the Smith Commission Agreement has been delivered in full. The Bill is now before the House of Lords where it will be scrutinised further.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department’s policy priorities are for supporting projects in The Gambia.

Mr Nick Hurd

DFID does not have a bilateral aid programme in The Gambia. The decision to end our programme was agreed with the Government of Gambia in 2008, and our office closed in 2011. The decision was taken to wind down the programme gradually as part of a responsible exit, and to ensure partners built on successful DFID programmes.

The UK continues to maintain a good relationship with the Gambia. The UK supports The Gambia through its contributions to multilateral institutions, such the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the EU’s European Development Fund.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) refugee teachers and (b) other teachers are paid liveable wages and receive appropriate training and support in countries hosting Syrian refugees in the region.

Mr Desmond Swayne

At the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region, we want the international community to agree a new goal that all Syrian refugee children and affected host country children are in education – formal school or non-formal – by the end of 2016/17. Equally, for inside Syria, it is our aim to increase access to good quality schooling or other learning opportunities such as self-learning and non-formal education. In neighbouring countries we will also increase access to vocational or skills training and higher education for children and youth.

At the Conference our ambition is that international donors, governments from countries in the region hosting refugees, non-governmental organisations and the private sector come together to agree a set of reciprocal financial and policy commitments. The UK and co-hosts are working with donors and other partners to secure increased funding for education under the UN-led appeals for 2016 and longer term, multi-year education funding commitments to ensure sustainability. We are also working with refugee hosting governments in particular to agree the policy commitments necessary to turn increased funding into delivery on the ground. This includes a regional policy dialogue on integrating refugee teachers into national education systems, where possible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2016 to Question 26010, when he expects to establish a reading room for hon. Members to access TTIP consolidated texts.

Anna Soubry

The reading room for classified documents, including consolidated texts, relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is not yet open. Members of both Houses will be informed of the process and details of how to access the room shortly, once these have been finalised.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-05-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his oral statement of 19 April 2016, Official Report, column 782, how much of the £10 million in support for Libya will be counted towards (a) the Official Development Assistance target of 0.7 per cent of GNI, (b) the NATO defence spending target of 2 per cent GNI and (c) jointly towards both targets.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

I can confirm that the vast majority of the £10 million allocated under the Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF) for Libya in 2016/17 will qualify as Official Development Assistance (ODA). It is likely that some of the allocation for Libya – whether ODA or non ODA – will count towards the NATO defence spending target of 2 per cent of Gross National Income, but we would expect this to be small. It will not be possible to provide precise figures until the end of the financial year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce a maximum limit on the length of time an individual can be detained under immigration powers.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government does not believe that it is appropriate for there to be a formal time limit on immigration detention.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the government of Sudan on the use of funds earmarked under the Khartoum Process by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The EU has made absolutely clear that no funding will be provided to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). We have raised our concerns about the use of the RSF to manage migration directly with the Government of Sudan, most recently during the visit of the UK Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan to Khartoum in September.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will issue a response to Early Day Motion (a) 162, Closures of abortion clinics and (b) 172, Buffer zones around abortion centres.

Jane Ellison

These matters are dealt with by the Home Office.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the collection of data on the effect of sexual and gender-based violence on women in later life in developing countries.

Mr Desmond Swayne

Supporting robust data collection on violence against women and girls and its effects is critical. However, international systems do not yet fully capture sufficient data for those over the age of 49. At UNGA the Secretary of State announced DFID’s role as an anchor partner of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. We are working with international bodies to support the development of rigorous, national data on violence against women and girls of all ages and its effect. One area we are looking at is whether the internationally recognised Demographic and Health Surveys can be expanded to women in later life.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the provision of non-formal education opportunities by NGOs for Syrian refugees in neighbouring and regional countries.

Mr Desmond Swayne

At the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region, we want the international community to agree a new goal that all Syrian refugee children and affected host country children are in education – formal school or non-formal – by the end of 2016/17. Equally, for inside Syria, it is our aim to increase access to good quality schooling or other learning opportunities such as self-learning and non-formal education. In neighbouring countries we will also increase access to vocational or skills training and higher education for children and youth.

At the Conference our ambition is that international donors, governments from countries in the region hosting refugees, non-governmental organisations and the private sector come together to agree a set of reciprocal financial and policy commitments. The UK and co-hosts are working with donors and other partners to secure increased funding for education under the UN-led appeals for 2016 and longer term, multi-year education funding commitments to ensure sustainability. We are also working with refugee hosting governments in particular to agree the policy commitments necessary to turn increased funding into delivery on the ground.