Tag: Stephen Doughty

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the new Argentinian government to emphasise the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and the right of self-determination.

Mr Hugo Swire

The Government has engaged with both President Macri and Foreign Minister Malcorra. Whilst we are eager to improve relations with the Argentinian government we continue to make it clear that this does not, and will not, change our position on the Falkland Islanders’ right to self-determination.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been accommodated by Clearsprings on behalf of her Department in (a) Cardiff, (b) Wales and (c) the UK in each of the last six years.

James Brokenshire

Clearsprings Ready Homes provide accommodation for asylum seekers under contract with the Home Office in Wales, London and the South East and South West of the UK only.

Data provided for September each year in respect of dispersed asylum seekers as follows:

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2015

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individual unique addresses asylum seekers were accommodated in by her Department in each constituency in the UK in each of the last six years.

James Brokenshire

The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Accommodation for asylum seekers is provided through third party accommodation providers under the COMPASS contracts. The Government does not retain information on the number of unique addresses as there is no direct contractual relationship between the Home Office and private landlords. The Home Office publishes quarterly data on the number of asylum seekers in Section 95 dispersal accommodation, by local authority. Data regarding the precise locations of asylum applicants cannot be provided at ward or constituency level as to do so would incur disproportionate costs and be precluded by the provisions of the Data Protection Act, given that individuals could reasonably be identified by such data.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has made to reallocate UK aid funding from cross-EU funds and programmes in the event of the UK voting to leave the EU.

Mr Nick Hurd

At the February European Council the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU. The civil service works to support the government’s position.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of how many Yazidi civilians are held by Daesh forces in Iraq and Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We do not hold figures for the numbers of Yezidi civilians who are being held by Daesh forces. The situation is desperate for many communities within Syria and Iraq. We condemn in the strongest terms the targeting and persecution by Daesh of Yezidis, Christians, Muslims and all other communities.

Ultimately, the best way of preventing future atrocities is to defeat Daesh and its violent ideology. That’s why the UK is playing a leading role in the Global Coalition of 66 countries and international organisations committed to tackling Daesh.

We are also using our aid budget to alleviate the humanitarian suffering caused by Daesh and the wider conflict in Syria. The UK has now pledged a total of over £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. The funding is providing support, such as food, medical care and relief items, to over a million people including those targeted by Daesh. This includes life-saving maternal and child health-care, child protection services, and specialized support for those who have escaped Daesh’s terror.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-03-21.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the budgetary implications of lower-than-predicted growth rates for government departments other than the Department for International Development.

Greg Hands

Departmental budgets were set at Spending Review 2015.

Budget 2016 announced an adjustment to Official Development Assistance spend to account for the lower growth forecast.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 21 January 2016 to Question 23632, whether UK military personnel providing training and education for military personnel in Saudi Arabia on the subjects of compliance with international humanitarian law and transparency address the use of cluster munitions.

Michael Fallon

We have provided education and training courses to Saudi Arabian military personnel under existing Government-to-Government arrangements. These courses expose Saudi military personnel to UK policy, compliance with International Humanitarian Law and the conventions relating to the Law of Armed Conflict. We take our obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions seriously and continue to encourage Saudi Arabia, as a non-party to the Convention, to accede to it.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with officials in her Department on the potential effect of the outcome of the EU referendum on recipients of overseas development assistance currently given to (a) the European Development Fund, (b) the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department and (c) the European Investment Bank.

Rory Stewart

DFID will make an assessment of how we will work with the European Union Institutions as part of the exit negotiations and we look forward to working with all of our international partners in future to achieve the best results possible.

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 his Department has made of the effect the closure of the Dadaab refugee camp will have on the stability of Somalia and the East Africa region.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

​The Government recognises the significant burden that the Government of Kenya faces in housing a large number of Somali refugees, and encourages it to maintain its global leadership role in this regard as well as its international obligations. Any returns of refugees from Dadaab to Somalia must be in line with international law – including being safe, dignified and voluntary. This is critical to avoid any destabilising impact on Somalia and the East Africa region. The UK supports the extension of the Tripartite Agreement between UNHCR, Kenya and Somalia as the legal basis regulating the returns process.

The UK is providing an additional £20 million to support accelerated safe voluntary returns of refugees to Somalia from Kenya, by helping to ensure that refugees who want to return home have the support and possibility of livelihoods necessary for their safe, long-term resettlement in Somalia.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Indian government on the recent attack on an Indian military facility at Pathawkof.

Mr Hugo Swire

Officials have been in regular contact with their Indian counterparts in London and in Delhi, including the National Security Adviser who spoke to the Indian National Security Adviser on 6th January. We have issued a statement offering condolences to the victims and their families and re-emphasising our commitment to work with India to counter terrorism.