The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent meetings she has had with the National Security Adviser on transparency and effectiveness of the cross-government aid funds.
Rory Stewart
The Secretary of State for International Development has regular meetings with the National Security Adviser and discusses a range of issues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the needs and rights of older people in developing countries; and whether ageing will be reinstated as a responsibility under her Department’s Inclusive Societies policy.
Rory Stewart
Many DFID programmes reach and include older people, supporting their needs and rights. These include programmes to strengthen health systems and eye care, and specific programmes for the poorest including supporting slum dwellers in Tanzania and supporting widows resulting from the Genocide in Rwanda. Ageing features in DFID country level poverty analyses as a key factor in understanding poverty. In addition DFID is taking a global leadership role to achieve better quality and use of age disaggregated data to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals leave no one behind. DFID’s Inclusive Societies Department in Policy Division holds policy responsibility for ageing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-12-07.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any Government spending on the BBC World Service is recorded as Overseas Development Assistance.
Greg Hands
We have committed to increase funding for the BBC World Service to £34 million in 2016/17 and £85 million a year up to 2019-20. As a provider of accurate, impartial and independent news the BBC World Service helps to strengthen democratic accountability and governance, meaning that a significant portion of the funding provided can be classified as Official Development Assistance (ODA). ODA is subject to approval via the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC), which oversees international ODA classification. We will work with the BBC and DAC to make the case for classifying up to £28m of the £34m in 2016/17 as ODA, and up to £70m per year in three remaining years of programme as ODA spend.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on HM Government Strategy for Abolition of the Death Penalty, published October 2011.
Mr David Lidington
Progress has been strong. In December 2014, a biennial UN resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty was passed with a record majority. Fewer than 30 countries now carry out executions and the number of people executed is at an all-time low. There have been set-backs and disappointments, but the long-term trend in the use of the death penalty is undoubtedly downwards. Nonetheless, the British Government’s view remains that the death penalty is an unjustified tool in all circumstances and we continue to campaign for total abolition.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will issue a response to EDM 1011, Fire at Mzuzu University, Malawi.
Mr Nick Hurd
The UK recognises the terrible loss for Mzuzu University and academia in Malawi caused by the fire in December 2015 which destroyed the university library and its stock of 45,000 books.
We commend the Scotland Malawi Partnership for coordinating efforts in Scotland to appeal for donations for the restocking and rebuilding of the library. Officials have met with the Scotland Malawi Partnership and the Mzuzu University Vice Chancellor to discuss possible funding opportunities. It is encouraging that Scottish Universities are again demonstrating Scotland’s unique people to people approach to supporting Malawi at a time when the country is also facing a humanitarian crisis and funding priorities are in strong competition.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-05-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will issue a response to Early Day Motion 660, Legal recognition for people who do not associate with a particular gender.
James Brokenshire
UK passports currently recognise only male and female genders. To introduce a third category, such a denoted by an ‘X’ in the passport, would require a change in UK primary legislation.
The Government is currently considering this issue as part of its response to the report on Transgender Equality by the Women and Equalities Select Committee.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-06-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect on alleged violence against ethnic groups in Gambia.
James Duddridge
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not held recent discussions with the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect on alleged violence against ethnic groups in The Gambia. However, we fully endorse the statement of the UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, released on 10 June, in which he condemned inflammatory rhetoric by President Jammeh, and called for the rights of all populations of The Gambia to be respected. We regularly press the government of The Gambia at senior levels to protect the human rights of all its people.
Our Ambassador to The Gambia recently has discussed the situation in the country with the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for West Africa and with UN representatives in Banjul. We and our partners will continue to monitor the situation closely, particularly the protection afforded to different ethnic groups.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants have lost their entitlement to motability cars during their reassessment from disability living allowance to personal independence payment; and how many such claimants have subsequently had their motability cars reinstated following an appeal to the first-tier tribunal in each year since 2010.
Penny Mordaunt
The Department does not routinely collect information on the numbers of people who have had to return a Motability vehicle nor on whether they were successful on appeal. Motability is an independent charitable organisation that is wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme, including collating its own management information. Whilst the Department meets regularly with Motability to discuss scheme performance, questions relating to the details of the scheme’s operation should be directed to Motability itself.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on indefinite national service continuing to be practised in Eritrea.
James Duddridge
The British Government continues to have concerns about indefinite national service in Eritrea. We welcomed the Government of Eritrea’s pledge earlier this year to limit national service to 18 months for all new recruits starting from March 2015. However, we have been clear to the government in Asmara that it must now follow through on this commitment and that the change must be publicised widely in Eritrea itself. We have also been clear that the 18 month limit should apply to all conscripts not just those who have been enlisted recently.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the UK will be represented at the meeting of the World Health Organisation’s Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Financing and Coordination in Geneva on 7 to 9 March 2016; and what the Government’s priorities for the meeting will be.
Mr Nick Hurd
We are currently in discussions with the World Health Organisation (WHO) regarding who will represent the UK at the meeting of the World Health Organisation’s Consultative Expert Working Group in March 2016.
The UK Government priority is to see a Pooled Fund for Research and Development established with support from WHO Member States, especially those that have not provided funding for this type of work. The UK Government supports systems that separate the market incentives to produce a drug or vaccine from the Research & Development process, prioritise public health need over profit and work in partnership with a wide range of different organisations, covering the public, private and philanthropic sectors. The UK is the second largest government supporter of the development of new products through product development partnerships, which prioritise need over profit.