Tag: Roger Godsiff

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect civilians in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK has been at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the conflict in Syria. To date, we have pledged over £1.1 billion aid in response to the crisis in Syria and the region, making us the second biggest bilateral donor after the United States. We are exploring with the UN and other major donors how best to ensure that the momentum on fund-raising is maintained over the longer term, including how to respond to the 2016 Appeals, once these have been issued. The UK has provided £6.7m for the Syrian civil defence teams (known as ‘White Helmets’) to carry out search and rescue, fire fighting and First Aid in besieged areas. They have saved over 14,840 lives since March 2013. We are also working with other international donors to establish and build up the Free Syrian Police, a moderate police force in opposition-controlled areas in Syria. We are also taking action internationally. The UK co-sponsored and lobbied hard for UN Security Council Resolutions 2165 and 2191 which enable the UN to deliver aid across borders, without the consent of the regime, to assist those in the hardest to reach areas. By 31 August 2015, the UN and its partners had delivered 175 convoys of aid cross-border.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Prime Minister, whether he plans to attend the COP21 climate talks in Paris.

Mr David Cameron

I will attend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Paris.

I will meet world leaders to help lay the groundwork for an ambitious new global deal to address climate change. A global deal is the only way we can deliver the scale of action required to keep limiting the global temperature rise to below 2 degrees within reach. An ambitious agreement will help drive a global, irreversible, transformational shift to a low carbon economy which will promote innovation and drive down the costs of low carbon technology, further enabling cost effective climate action and mitigation ambition in the future. It will also help to create a more competitive, stable and transparent framework and opportunity for business and investors.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what procedure his Department follows in investigating cases of discrepancies between statements in disability benefit claimant questionnaires and assessor reports.

Justin Tomlinson

Following the gathering of evidence, including the assessor’s report which would reflect the claimants own evidence from the consultation and the questionnaire, a DWP decision maker will decide the facts of the case and then make a decision, applying those facts to the conditions for benefit. Any contradictions within the evidence will be decided on the balance of probabilities. The claimant can raise any such issues again at the Mandatory Reconsideration stage.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has to attend the World Health Organisation meeting in March 2016; and what her policy is on proposals to be discussed at that meeting on creating a system of health research which prioritises need and efficiency over profit.

Mr Nick Hurd

Arrangements for the meeting at the World Health Organisation (WHO) in March 2016 are at an early stage. DFID officials will be in discussion with WHO senior managers about UK representation at the meeting.

The UK Government supports systems that separate the market incentives to produce a drug or vaccine from the Research & Development process, that prioritise public health need over profit and that work in partnership with a wide range of different organisations, covering the public, private and philanthropic sectors. The proposals to be discussed at the meeting at the WHO in March are one element of a wider system. The UK is the second largest government supporter of the development of new products through product development partnerships, which prioritise need over profit.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21764, whether the government of Saudi Arabia (a) responded formally, (b) responded informally or (c) did not respond when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and the UK Ambassador raised the UK’s concerns about the recent mass executions; on what date the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and the Ambassador raised those concerns; and whether the exchange referred to in that Answer took place by telephone, in person, or in writing.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have raised our objections to executions, and the use of the death penalty on numerous occasions since 2 January, both in person and over the phone. I most recently raised the issue with the Government of Saudi Arabia on 12 January over the phone and in person on 14 January. The Saudi Government is aware of our position.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what savings to the Exchequer are expected by capping the cost of Local Housing Allowance for people living in sheltered and supported housing.

Justin Tomlinson

The information requested is not available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Parkinson’s disease have been placed in the (a) support group and (b) work-related activity group with a prognosis statement of (i) three months, (ii) six months, (iii) 12 months, (iv) 18 months, (v) two years and (vi) more than two years since the introduction of employment and support allowance in 2008.

Priti Patel

I refer the Hon. Member to the reply given on the 25 January 2016 to Question UIN 23428.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on teachers’ workloads of the new system for assessment of pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

Nick Gibb

We have made removing unnecessary workload a priority so that the efforts of teachers are focused on teaching. Our primary assessment reforms have been designed to put arrangements for the majority of classroom assessment back into the hands of the school and to reduce the tracking burdens that national curriculum levels encouraged. We believe schools are best placed to decide how to assess pupils in line with their curriculum and that over time this should lead to a reduction in teacher workload.

Following the introduction of the new national curriculum and the removal of levels, we have developed new forms of statutory assessment at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2. The duty to report assessment at these points remains unchanged from previous years. We do recognise, however, that in this first year the new forms of assessment are used pupils and teachers will be adapting their approach. The best way to prepare pupils remains to focus on teaching the new national curriculum, which schools have been doing since September 2014.

Throughout the introduction of our important reforms to primary assessment, we have worked closely with teachers and head teachers and continue to listen to the concerns of the profession as the details of the new arrangements are finalised. We are working constructively with the teaching profession and their representatives to find solutions to some of the remaining issues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the UK’s policy is on the resolution passed by the European Parliament in February 2016 in favour of an embargo on the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia.

Anna Soubry

Her Majesty’s Government takes its export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world.

All exports of arms and controlled military goods are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application. This includes the UK’s obligations under Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP.

The UK is satisfied that we are not in breach of our international obligations, including under the Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP. A licence will not be issued, to Saudi Arabia or any other destination, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory UK Licensing Criteria.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-03-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential costs and benefits of making available to the public country-by-country taxation reports submitted to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by multinational companies; and whether HMRC plans to make those reports available to taxation authorities in other countries.

Mr David Gauke

The UK supports efforts to improve tax transparency. We initiated the international work on country-by-country (CbC) reporting to tax authorities during our G8 Presidency in 2013, calling on the OECD to develop a template for this as part of the BEPS project. The UK was also the first to commit to implementing the OECD model with legislation in Finance Act 2015. We signed the OECD agreement to share the CbC reports with other tax authorities in January 2016 and issued our final CbC reporting regulations on 26 February 2016.

HMRC is committed to sharing the information reported by MNEs with other relevant tax jurisdictions to assist in assessing international tax avoidance risks.

The Government believes that there is scope for greater transparency by pressing the case for public CbC reporting on a multilateral basis. As the Chancellor has said, this is something that the UK will seek to promote internationally.

The European Commission is preparing an impact assessment of public CbC reporting. We look forward to seeing the outcome of this analysis, which we expect to be published early next month, and will consider any proposal put forward by the Commission in due course.