Tag: Stephen Doughty

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will suspend the sale of arms to countries of the Saudi Arabian-led military coalition following the coalition’s alleged use of cluster munitions in the Yemen conflict.

Anna Soubry

The UK Government takes its export control responsibilities very seriously. All export licence applications are carefully assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. A licence will not be issued if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the Criteria.

The suspension of licences will be considered by my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in circumstances where in the light of new evidence and information it would be considered that a proper risk assessment against the Consolidated Criteria would be difficult. At this time he considers that he does have sufficient information from a range of sources for a proper risk assessment to be made against the Criteria.

The UK ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 4 May 2010 and does not licence the export of these weapons.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of which policy areas in her Department will be affected by the UK vote to leave the EU.

Rory Stewart

The vast majority of DFID’s work is not done via the EU. We remain committed to spending 0.7% of our national income on development assistance, and to achieving the UN’s Global Goals and ending extreme poverty by 2030. We will continue to help countries in the developing world leave aid dependency behind to become our trading partners of the future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the Somaliland government’s work on reconciliation between the communities in the Sool and Sanaag regions of Somaliland; and what support the Government is providing in assisting with those efforts.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

​The UK welcomes the recent dialogue between the Somaliland Government and representatives from the Eastern regions of Sool and Sanaag. This is a Somali-led and Somali-owned process which we hope will result in a more inclusive political settlement and enhance stability in the region. On 16 September, with international partners, we made a statement calling for the Somaliland President urgently to set out a clear process, with timelines, to achieve this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Prime Minister, when he last discussed the issue of state aid for the UK steel industry with (a) the President of the European Commission, (b) the Presidency of the European Council and (c) other EU member state governments.

Mr David Cameron

I have raised the issues facing the steel industry with my counterparts, including most recently with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, which currently holds the EU Presidency.

The Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills is also engaged with the European Commission and our European partners. He has spoken with a number of European Commissioners in Brussels; Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom (Trade), Commissioner Elsbieta Bienkowska (Internal Market) and Vice President Jyrki Katainen (Jobs and Competitiveness), and stressed the importance of this issue. He has had positive talks with the Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on progressing the approval of the UK’s Energy Intensive Industries compensation scheme.

In addition, the Secretary of State has raised the issue with his EU counterparts, including those in Luxembourg, France, Italy and Spain. He called for an urgent EU Council meeting on steel, and I am pleased that the Luxembourg Presidency has scheduled a Competitiveness Council on 9 November specifically to discuss the EU steel industry.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-11.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any of the costs associated with events that he spoke at on 7 January 2016 at (a) St David’s Hotel and (b) Salt Bar were met from the public purse.

Harriett Baldwin

Consistent with all official events, the Chancellor was supported by a small number of officials from his private office and the Treasury press office when speaking at the St David’s hotel and at the two associated visits.

Costs associated with the major economy speech at the St David’s hotel in Cardiff were met within the existing events budget at HM Treasury. Invitations were not issued by the department.

The event at the Salt Bar was not a Government event and so no costs were met by the Treasury and no civil servants attended.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations her Department has made to its contractors for the provision of asylum support services on potential breaches of contract by those contractors.

James Brokenshire

All Home Office contracts include performance standards, which are defined in the contract. These are the primary way in which the Home Office manages service delivery of the contracts.

The Home Office has a rigorous contract compliance regime in place to ensure that the required performance standards expected of all providers, as defined in the contracts, are met. This includes monthly contract management and quarterly strategic review meetings, as well as regular daily discussions with COMPASS providers’ operational delivery managers about day to day issues.The Home Office investigates complaints it receives from service users and third parties and works with contractors to ensure that any issues raised are addressed promptly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many civil servants were loaned or seconded from the (a) Department for International Development to the Ministry of Defence, (b) Ministry of Defence to the Department for International Development, (c) Department for International Development to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (d) Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Department for International Development, (e) Department for International Development to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, (f) Department of Energy and Climate Change to the Department for International Development, (g) Cabinet Office to the Department for International Development and (h) Department for International Development to the Cabinet Office in each of the last six years.

Mr Nick Hurd

The data below shows the numbers of civil servants on loan or secondment during each of the periods indicated. Civil servants may have been on loan or secondment for part or all of the periods indicated. Some civil servants may have been on secondment/loan for more than one year. DFID HR system does not hold historical loan/secondment data, this information has therefore been manually collated.

1. DFID to MoD

   1/1/2011-31/12/2011 0

   1/1/2012-31/12/2012 0

   1/1/2013-31/12/2013 0

   1/1/2014-31/12/2014 1

   1/1/2015-31/12/2015 0

   1/1/2016-31/12/2016 1

2. MoD to DFID

   1/1/2011-31/12/2011 0

   1/1/2012-31/12/2012 0

   1/1/2013-31/12/2013 1

   1/1/2014-31/12/2014 1

   1/1/2015-31/12/2015 2

   1/1/2016-31/12/2016 2

3. DFID to FCO

   1/1/2011-31/12/2011 9

   1/1/2012-31/12/2012 14

   1/1/2013-31/12/2013 16

   1/1/2014-31/12/2014 32

   1/1/2015-31/12/2015 52

   1/1/2016-31/12/2016 44

4. FCO to DFID

1/1/2011-31/12/2011 0

1/1/2012-31/12/2012 3

1/1/2013-31/12/2013 11

1/1/2014-31/12/2014 17

1/1/2015-31/12/2015 19

1/1/2016-31/12/2016 12

1. DFID to DECC

1/1/2011-31/12/2011 0

1/1/2012-31/12/2012 0

1/1/2013-31/12/2013 0

1/1/2014-31/12/2014 0

1/1/2015-31/12/2015 0

1/1/2016-31/12/2016 0

1. DECC to DFID

   1/1/2011-31/12/2011 0

   1/1/2012-31/12/2012 2

   1/1/2013-31/12/2013 3

   1/1/2014-31/12/2014 5

   1/1/2015-31/12/2015 8

   1/1/2016-31/12/2016 3

2. CABINET OFFICE TO DFID

   1/1/2011-31/12/2011 0

   1/1/2012-31/12/2012 1

   1/1/2013-31/12/2013 1

   1/1/2014-31/12/2014 2

   1/1/2015-31/12/2015 3

   1/1/2016-31/12/2016 3

3. DFID TO CABINET OFFICE

   1/1/2011-31/12/2011 1

   1/1/2012-31/12/2012 2

   1/1/2013-31/12/2013 3

   1/1/2014-31/12/2014 3

   1/1/2015-31/12/2015 3

   1/1/2016-31/12/2016 2

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much and what proportion of his Department’s overseas development assistance budget his Department spent was subject to the International Development Act 2002 in each of the last three years.

Mr Julian Brazier

Ministry of Defence (MOD) expenditure on overseas development assistance is governed by the Supply and Appropriation Acts.

MOD spending on overseas development assistance over the last three calendar years has been £3.0 million in 2013 and £2.2 million in 2014. The 2015 figure is currently undergoing an assurance process and is scheduled to be published on 1 April 2016. This expenditure has mainly been on humantarian assistance and defence education.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish the memoranda of understanding between her Department and the Ministry of Defence on international humanitarian law.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID does not have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Defence on International Humanitarian Law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department has produced an implementation plan for the Sustainable Development Goals.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government intends to produce a report in due course that will set out how the UK is contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals.